


The Age of the Wolf

by LadyPaigeC



Series: Age of the Wolf verse [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who (Comics), Doctor Who (TV Movie 1996)
Genre: Ambush (DW Comic), Bonding, Descriptions of war, Dimension-Hopping Rose, Eighth Doctor as the Time War Doctor, Episode Fix-It: The Day of the Doctor, Episode Fix-It: s04e17-18 The End of Time, F/M, Minisode: The Night of the Doctor, Post-Episode: s04e11 Turn Left, Re-Write of the 50th Anniversary Special, Re-write, Telepathic Bond, The Time War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-07-05 02:55:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15854796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyPaigeC/pseuds/LadyPaigeC
Summary: Rose is hopping dimensions desperately searching for the Doctor. After leaving Donna's bubble universe, she finds herself on a crashing gunship during the Time War. The Doctor she finds isn't the one she's searching for, but he is still her Doctor and he needs her. Re-write of the 50th Anniversary Special starting with the minisode: The Night of the Doctor. The Eighth Doctor will be the War Doctor.





	1. Chapter 1: Night of the Doctor/Dawn of the Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to [ fleurdeneuf ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurdeneuf/) for the beta. (I did make a few changes after she looked it over so any mistakes are mine.)
> 
> Written for @doctorroseprompts and Eight x Rose August on Tumblr.  
> Prompt: Dimension hopping!Rose meets Eight / What if Rose was with Eight or met Eight during the Time War?

Rose’s boots hit the metal grating with a clang. She had only seconds to inspect her surroundings before the hallway tilted and she crashed into the wall. She lost hold of her gun and it went skittering down the corridor as the ground beneath her feet pitched again. She slammed onto her side and with a gasp had the breath knocked out of her. As the shaking lessened, she pushed herself carefully to her knees. From what Rose could tell she was on some sort of ship, and unless her guess was off, it was crashing. She rolled her eyes. Of course her TARDIS-key-linked dimension cannon would drop her in the midst of an emergency.

At the sound of shouting, she stood and turned. 

_“Help me, please. Can anybody hear me?”_

Rose quickly made her way toward the desperate plea. She stepped onto the bridge of the ship and saw a young woman seated in the captain’s chair frantically pressing buttons. An artificial voice inquired, “Please state the nature of your ailment or injury.”

The young woman turned in her seat to yell at the computer. “I'm not injured; I'm crashing. I don't need a doctor.”

The hairs on Rose’s neck prickled and she darted a nervous glance behind her, half expecting to see the man that shared that name. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped through the doorway. “I’m not the Doctor, but maybe I can help?” Rose took in the empty room. “Are you on your own?”

The young woman gaped at Rose. “What?”

“The rest of the crew?”

The young woman breathed deeply and pulled herself together. “Teleported off.”

Rose walked up behind her and examined the control panel. “An’ they left you behind?”

“I teleported them.”

“How’d you get picked for that? Newest recruit?”

“Nah, everyone else was screaming. Besides, you’re one to talk. You can’t be any older than I am.”

Rose grinned widely. “You’d be surprised.”

“Huh?”

“I’m older than I look. But you’re right. I took off for the biggest adventure of my life when I was jus’ 19.”

Cass smiled wryly. “I wanted to see the universe.”

A small laugh escaped from Rose. “Quite right. Me too. Now, how about you show me how to work the teleport? So we can get you back to your crew. I’m Rose by the way.” She held out her hand. The younger woman stared at her curiously, but took the offered hand.

“Cass. How’d you get here?”

Rose bit her lip. “I’ve got a sort of transporter of my own. Was expecting to run into a friend. Still might. Seems like the sorta place he’d turn up.” She glanced around the carnage of the control room and laughed.

“You’re mad! Do you know that?”

“Not the first time I’ve been told that. Probably won’t be the last.”

“I really hope so.”

“Okay, Cass, tell me how to get you out of here before we crash.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“But-”

“Cass, you were calling for help before. That’s me. Now, tell me what to do.”

Cass turned a knob to set the coordinates for the teleporter and pointed to a green oval. “Just press that button when I get to the platform.”

Rose nodded and shooed her. “Go on.”

As she was making her way toward the teleportation tube, something hit the ship and sent Cass tumbling to the floor. 

Sparks rained down from the ceiling over Rose, and she jumped back. Tendrils of smoke started to rise from the control panel.

“Shit. Hurry, Cass!”

Cass pushed herself up and ran the rest of the way to the platform. “Ready.”

Rose pressed the button Cass had indicated earlier. Nothing happened. Rose hit it again and still Cass remained where she stood. 

“It’s not working! Whatever hit us, must have jammed the controls!” After one last smack to the control panel, Rose sank dejectedly down into one of the chairs and looked at the dimension cannon. It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t leave Cass to die alone. 

Cass collapsed into the seat closest to the teleport tube. She banged her head back against the headrest.

They were jarred out of their musings by the computer. “A clear statement of your symptoms will help us provide the medical practitioner appropriate to your individual needs.”

Rose’s voice held a hint of humor. “Don’t I wish.”

“Stop talking about doctors!”

“I'm a Doctor...” 

Rose stood and spun around. Her eyes greedily drank in the sight of the man leaning against a support beam.

“...Though probably not the one you're expecting. Where are the rest of the crew?”

Rose considered this unfamiliar man who called himself ‘Doctor.’ There was no recognition in his eyes although some instinctual knowledge and a tingle of energy that raced along her nerve endings left her without doubt that this was her Doctor. She adopted a smirk. “The crew teleported off.”

“But you’re still here.”

Cass jumped up from her seat. “I teleported them.”

“And I’m not crew. ‘Sides you’re wrong.”

The Doctor’s eyebrows rose in shock. “Wrong about what?”

Rose’s lips settled into a genuine smile. “You’re exactly the Doctor I was hoping for. Maybe not the face I was expectin’, I’ll give you that much, but the right man nonetheless.” She placed her hand between the Doctor’s racing hearts. He gasped and she winked at him. 

Rose held out her hand for his and when he linked their fingers together, she asked, “Run?” She pulled him from the room with a laugh. “Come on, Cass.”

Still trying to make heads or tails of the fascinating blonde racing beside him down the corridor, the Doctor asked, “So I gather you know me?”

Rose looked over at him and smiled. “Been searching for you for a while. We got separated. But I never doubted I’d find you again. Well, not this you, but I’ll find the right you; I have to, if it’s the last thing I do.” 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. And if you’d like, I could bring you back to the Doctor you’re searching for.”

“You can do that?”

“Of course. Even if you didn’t sound quite so urgent, I’d do it happily.”

Rose sighed in relief. “Thanks. It’s not just about me, I need to find him...need his help.”

“Anything I can do? When we’re done here.”

“I think he’s the only one. It...the timelines. It’s gotta be him.”

“I feel at a disadvantage. You know so much about me, but I don’t even know your name.”

“Er, should I be saying-”

“I’ll have to make myself forget it later. It’s ok to tell me now.”

“Rose. Rose Tyler.” Rose veered to the left and went down another hallway. She called over her shoulder to Cass who was lagging behind. “This way!”

“And where are we going, Rose Tyler?” He liked the way his tongue wrapped around the name.

“Back of the ship.”

He was intrigued by her confidence. “Oh? And why is that?”

Rose looked at him knowingly and slowed down. “Because the front crashes first. And so you’d never park the TARDIS there.”

Cass nearly bumped into them. “TARDIS?”

A bulkhead closed just before the trio passed through it.

“Ah. Why’d you do that?” The Doctor asked as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

“Emergency protocols,” Cass said offhandedly before turning to the other woman. “Rose, did you say TARDIS?”

The Doctor ran his sonic over the bulkhead door in an attempt to open it. Rose turned toward Cass. “Yeah. ‘S his ship, an’ our way out of here.”

“He’s a...Time Lord?”

“Yeah. You’ve heard of them?”

“What about you? Are you a Time Lady?”

“No. I’m human.”

The doors slid open. “We need to go. Now.” The Doctor reached out for both women but Cass pulled her arm away from him.

“Don’t touch me.”

“I’m not part of the war. I swear to you, I never was.”

Rose’s eyes widened as realization hit. “War?”

Cass crossed her arms. “But you’re a Time Lord.”

“Yes, I’m a Time Lord, but I’m one of the nice ones.”

“You can trust him, Cass. Please, we need to go.” 

Rose took a step toward Cass. “Get away from me! Both of you!”

Rose raised her arms in compliance. “Okay. I’m not gettin’ any closer, but I trust this man with my life. An’ you can too. He’s not like the other Time Lords. He’s called ‘The Doctor.’ He helps people. You wanted to see the universe; he can show it to you.”

The Doctor looked from Rose to Cass. Cass was wavering with indecision, but as she met the Doctor’s eyes, she stood tall and straight. “A Time Lord is a Time Lord.”

The Doctor snapped, “Well, look on the bright side. I'm not a Dalek.”

“Doctor..." Rose put her hand on his arm.

“Who can tell the difference any more?”

The Doctor flinched, and in his moment of distraction, Cass shoved him through the bulkhead toward the TARDIS and slammed the door closed between them.

The Doctor shouted from the other side of the barrier. “Cass!”

“It's deadlocked. Don't even try.”

Rose hit the control Cass had used to close the door with the hope that it would open it.

“The emergency protocols enact isomorphic control of the ship to registered crew only. It won’t work for you.”

“Cass, you can’t do this. The ship’s crashing! You’re going to die without his help.”

“I’m sorry, Rose. Use your teleporter and save yourself.” 

“‘S not me I’m worried about. You’re going to die.” Cass closed her eyes and tried to ignore what Rose was saying. Rose turned and pounded on the window of the bulkhead to try and break through it, but it held firm.

The Doctor ran his sonic around the edges of the door and grimaced at the results.

“Cass, please open the door. I'm only trying to help.”

Cass’ eyes popped open showing her rage. “Go back to your battlefield. You haven't finished yet. Some of the universe is still standing.”

“I'm not leaving this ship without you two.”

“Well, you're going to die right here.” Cass forced a smile on her face. “Best news all day.”

Rose caught a glimpse of the Doctor. The look of defeat broke her heart. “Cass, please. He’s a good man.” 

Rose placed her palm over the glass. “Doctor..." He glanced up at her. “Don’t blame yourself; it’s not your fault.”

\-------------------

The Doctor woke with a jolt. His head hit hard against rough stone and his whole body screamed in pain. “Rose! Cass!”

A woman in the red robes of the High Priestess of the Sisterhood of Karn, knelt down in front of the Doctor. “If you refer to your companions, we are still attempting to extract them from the wreckage.”

The Doctor wrapped his arm around his stomach. He was bleeding. “They weren't my companions. Not...not yet, anyway...”

“Yet? Too late for that. They’re almost certainly dead. No one could survive that crash.”

His face contorted in pain from both the words and his injuries. He gasped a breath. “Oh, I don’t know. I did.”

She considered her next words. “No. We restored you to life, but it's a temporary measure. You have a little under four minutes.”

“Four minutes? That's ages. What if I get bored, or need a television, couple of books? Anyone for chess? Bring me knitting.”

Annoyance flickered in the high priestess’ eyes. “You have so little breath left. Spend it wisely.”

The Doctor’s gaze narrowed in on the woman in front of him. When recognition hit, he looked around at his surroundings. “Hang on. Am I back on Karn?” The Doctor pushed himself to his feet. “You're the Sisterhood of Karn, Keepers of the Flame of Utter Boredom.”

She stood up to face him. “Eternal Life.”

“That's the one.”

She held tightly to her anger at his disrespect. They needed him if their prophecies were to be believed. “Mock us if you will, but our elixir can trigger your regeneration, bring you back. Time Lord science is elevated here on Karn. The change doesn't have to be random.” She pointed to several of her acolytes holding chalices. “Fat or thin, young or old, man or woman?”

“Why would you do this for me?”

“You have helped us in the past.”

He almost laughed. “You were never big on gratitude.”

“The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords threatens all reality. You are the only hope left.”

“It's not my war. I will have no part of it.”

She shook her head pityingly. “You can't ignore it forever.”

“I help where I can. But I will not fight.”

She sneered, “Because you are ‘the good man,’ as you call yourself?” 

“I call myself ‘the Doctor.’”

“It's the same thing in your mind.”

He nodded. “I'd like to think so.”

“In that case, Doctor…” The High Priestess looked to the entrance of the room and signaled for her charges. “...attend your patients.”

The bodies of Cass and Rose were brought forth and laid upon an altar before the Doctor. He immediately reached for his sonic and began scanning them.

“You're wasting your time. They are beyond even our help.” 

The Doctor brushed a lock of hair behind Rose’s ear, moving it away from a dried trickle of blood on her forehead. “This is...wrong. She was so full of life.” He moved to Cass’ head. “And she just wanted to see the universe.”

“She didn't miss much. It's very nearly over.”

“I could have saved them. But she wouldn't listen.”

“You are a part of this, Doctor, whether you like it or not.”

“I would rather die.”

“You're dead already. How many more will you let join you? How many more Roses and Casses? If they could speak, what would they say?” The priestess looked at the lifeless girls.

“Cass? To me? Nothing. I'm a Time Lord. Everything she despised. But Rose, she...”

“She would beg your help, as we beg your help now.”

He shook his head. “She’d be the first to help.”

“Then she was wiser than you. She understood there was no escaping the Time War. The universe stands on the brink. Will you let it fall?” The Doctor considered the elixirs, and the High Priestess asked, “Fast or strong? Wise or angry? What do you need now?”

The Doctor removed the weapons belt from Cass’ shoulder and studied it. “Warrior.”

A flicker of hope appeared in the High Priestess’ eyes. “Warrior?”

“I don't suppose there's a need for a doctor anymore. Make me a warrior now.”

With a smile, the priestess brought over a chalice containing a smoking potion. “I took the liberty of preparing this one myself.”

The Doctor took it from her hands. “Get out. Get out! All of you.” The Sisterhood slowly made their way from his presence. He stopped the High Priestess before she could leave. “Will it hurt?” 

She paused and turned to look at him. “Yes.”

The Doctor smiled. “Good. Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly, friends, companions I've known, I salute you. Cass, I do this in your honor. And Rose…” He glanced down at Rose, her skin pale but luminous. He leaned over her and brought his lips to her ear. “I’m so sorry, Rose. I couldn’t save you, but I vow to make this universe a place you would be proud of.” He straightened and held the chalice aloft. “Physician, heal thyself.”

Rose’s eyes opened with a flash of gold, her voice echoed with power. “No!”

The Doctor took a shocked step back and nearly fell. “Rose!”

Rose climbed off of the altar and seized the elixir from the Doctor’s hands. “Don’t you dare.” 

The High Priestess ran in at the sound of the Doctor’s shout. “Is it done?”

Rose glared with golden eyes at the other woman. “No. It is not done, Ohila. What have you done?”

In her anger, the power of the vortex churned around Rose. The Doctor took another step back and squinted against the brightness. Ohila gasped, fell to her knees, and placed her forehead to the ground in supplication. “My Lady Time, our prophecies foretell of a Time Lord, the Last Son of Gallifrey, who will bring about the end of the Time War. We believe this to be our Lord Doctor. We need his help.”

“And that warrants poisoning him?”

“The elixir would bring forth a new regeneration, make him stronger, heal him...save him from death.”

“He does not need saving from death. Your elixir would have pushed him from this life into another. You manipulated rather than appealed to him.”

“My Lady Time--”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your goddess, Time. I was, am, will be Her daughter for but a sliver of time. A moment. Nothing more.”

“Very well, my Lady...Moment, daughter of Time. We needed to ensure that the Doctor would help. All of creation hangs in the balance.”

“No.”

Ohila sat up on her knees. “My Lady-”

“It will be his choice or nothing at all.”

Ohila turned her head to the Doctor who was shivering and clutching his side. “My Lord Doctor, we beg of you-”

The Doctor held up his hand and groaned. “Stop your prattling. I’ll help. I’ve run long enough. So many men and women, better than I, have given their lives to this war. It is time that I face my responsibilities.”

Rose nodded and raised the chalice she’d taken from the Doctor to her lips. 

“Rose, what are you doing? The elixir. You said-” 

Rose smiled fondly at the Doctor. “I want you safe, my Doctor.” She drank the elixir and the pulse of time began to glow around her.

The Doctor moved as quickly as he could to her side, considering his injuries, and reached out for her. “Rose? What-”

Golden tears fell from her eyes. “You won’t have to bear this alone. I stand with you...always.” Rose leaned forward and softly kissed the Doctor. The golden energy swirled around them and healed the injuries to both their bodies. When they separated, the mist dissipated and Rose collapsed into the Doctor’s arms.

“Rose!” The Doctor gently lowered her to the ground and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Rose..."

Rose’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled at the Doctor’s worried frown. “Hello.”

He pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on her crown. “Oh, Rose. My precious girl, what have you done?”

“I made my choice a long time ago, Doctor. An’ I’m never gonna leave you.”

“But I’ve got to return to Gallifrey, my dear. There’s a war to be fought, and you must go and find my future self. You have your own mission.”

Rose leaned back. “If I have anything to spare, it’s time. I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t.” 

Her eyes flashed with gold. “It wasn’t optional. When you join the war, so will I. You’re rubbish on your own, ‘s better with two.”

The Doctor stood up and began pacing, she scrambled to her feet as well. “Rose, I know that you’re from my future. Between that stress on the timelines and the war, I don’t-”

“I can see everything. All that is, all that was, and all that ever could be.”

The Doctor gasped. “I...that’s what I see.”

Rose cupped his jaw and he shivered. “I know.” She smiled her tongue touched grin at him. “And between the two of us, the most brilliant of all the Time Lords and his Bad Wolf, we can navigate having our differing timelines running alongside each other for a bit, yeah?”

“A bit? The Time War’s been raging for nearly 300 linear years as it is. Who knows how much longer it will go on.”

“That is but a blink of the eye for a child of time.”

The Doctor sighed before he realized he’d only addressed part of what she’d said. “You called yourself ‘Bad Wolf,’ that’s not the first time I’ve run across that phrase. What’s it mean?”

“It’s me. It’s a...sort of song, a message, a howling in my soul to run beside you and protect you - my best friend, my love, my Doctor.”

The Doctor lost himself in the eternity of her gaze. He saw the birth and death of the universe, passion and destruction, and love. So much love. He came back to himself and said somewhat reluctantly, “Very well. To Gallifrey.”


	2. Return to Gallifrey

The Doctor stood with his hands clasped behind his back looking out of the window high above the domed city. He silently noted the changes wrought by war. There was more activity on the streets, but there was a frenetic energy to it. People were out, but none enjoyed the beauty around them. They scurried along the streets, heads down, ignoring each other in passing, minds focused inward and on surviving another day.

Fabric rustled and footsteps approached the Doctor. “We’re in the midst of war. You know she can’t be here.”

He glanced briefly over his shoulder. “Romana, it’s not negotiable.”

“The Time Lords will not accept you bringing your companion, your _human_ companion, here. I know it’s been some time since you’ve last visited, but-”

He turned to face his old friend. “She’s not exactly human and she’s not my companion.”

Romana’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean by that? She is obviously both human, 21st century London if I am not mistaken, and she arrived with you on your TARDIS. Doctor, you’re making even less sense than usual, and that is saying something.”

“I...I’m not exactly sure what she is, but she’s more than human, and she’s from my future. She’s a future self’s companion, not originally mine.”

“Doctor! Have you gone mad? As if this war hasn’t nearly shredded the fabric of time, you...oh! She absolutely cannot be here if she has any knowledge of your future! You know that. She must be returned to her proper timeline immediately.”

He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “I can’t.” At Romana’s screech of indignation, the Doctor held up his hands. “I’ve tried. I know how dangerous it is for her to be here. In the last few weeks that we’ve been travelling, since leaving Karn, I tried no less than 6 times to get her home. The Old Girl fought me every time and when it came down to it, she wouldn’t let me do it.”

“Are you still referring to your Type 40 as ‘Old Girl.’” Romana tsked at him. “Can you be serious for once?”

“You travelled with me; you know how she gets.”

The door to Romana’s office whooshed open, and Rose entered with a tall Time Lord and an older Time Lady. With a dismissive glance, Romana continued, “I know you are entirely too easy going on that ship. I can enlist a Type 97 for you to use with the sole purpose of returning your future companion to her correct time.”

“A Type 97? They shouldn’t even be considered TARDISes. No personality.”

Rose sidled up next to the Doctor and took his hand in hers. She turned to Romana and told her, “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

“I’m sorry, Rose. I know what it’s like to travel with the Doctor, but humans are not permitted here right now.”

A deep voice interrupted from the doorway. “She’s not human.”

Romana looked at surprise at the Time Lord that had come in with Rose. “You can’t be serious, Braxiatel.”

“I took the liberty of running a few tests-”

Rose gasped. “You had no right!”

The Doctor squeezed her hand and faced his brother. “And what did you find, Brax?”

Braxiatel cleared his throat. “Well, it appears your young friend has many of the same attributes as humans, it’s even likely that she was born human, but she has high levels of artron and huon particles in her system and the rate of her cellular decay is practically non-existent.”

“Huon! Huon is ancient.”

Romana looked suspiciously at the Doctor and asked Braxiatel, “Cellular decay similar to a Time Lord?”

“Less even than a Time Lord. It’s as if she’s a frozen moment in time, but yet...not. Without further testing…”

“I forbid it!”

“...we have no idea what that means for her body’s ability to repair itself or just how long lasting her life will be.”

The Doctor snuck a look at Rose. She appeared tight lipped and angry, so it was a surprise when she spit out, “I heal fast.”

Braxiatel waited for her to elaborate, and at her continued silence turned to the Doctor with a raised brow. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Before coming here, we were in a gunship crash. Rose died.”

“I didn’t die...obviously.”

“Appeared to die, but she came back and healed herself...and me too as a matter of fact.”

“She regenerated?”

“No, not as such. I...I don’t know exactly what it was, but it wasn’t a regeneration as we know it. Now, Brax, if that’s everything, we’re just-”

“It’s not. Her timelines are completely unreadable...to everyone, even the readers and Visionary. It’s as if she’s seeped in time and holds every possibility around her. It’s completely impossible.” Rose rolled her eyes. “I think she should stay; she might be a...valuable addition to the war effort."

The Doctor bristled and moved closer to Rose. “She’s a person, not a weapon to be used. Don’t even think about-”

Rose stepped forward. “What’s your job here?”

Braxiatel was taken aback. “Pardon?”

“Your...position. Do you have the authority to permit me to stay? Not as a weapon for the Time Lords, but as a helpmate to the Doctor.”

“Well, I hold a seat on the Council, same as Romana. We can petition on your behalf.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a guarantee. So get this through your arrogant Time Lord head: I’m not goin’ anywhere, ‘cept where the Doctor goes. Figure out a way to make that happen or I’ll figure it out on my own.” Rose let them see a portion of the power she held as gold flashed through her eyes.

Romana took a step back in alarm. Braxiatel simply looked rather bored.

A gentle throat clearing had them all looking at the other person in the room. The elder Time Lady, who thus far had remained content to observe, motioned for the Doctor to join her. 

As the Doctor made his way to her side, Brax pounced. He jumped on the Doctor and wrestled him to the floor. Rose moved faster than a human had the ability to move. One second she was by the window and the next she had flung Braxiatel across the room and into the wall. 

“Doctor!” Rose ran her hands over the Doctor, checking for injuries.

“I’m fine. Nothing I haven’t faced from him before, though I must say, Brax, not since we were children.” Rose helped him to his feet.

Brax started laughing from his position on the ground. He dusted his robes off as he stood back up. “I just wanted to see what your...Rose was capable of, Thete.” He bowed to her. “More than even I had hoped for, my dear.”

“Oh, do stop antagonizing your brother.” 

Rose gasped and looked from one to the other. There were no similarities at all between the two men.

Braxiatel lowered his head. “Apologies, mother.” 

Rose glanced in shock at the Time Lady now smiling at her. “Don’t mind either of my boys. They’ve been competitive since they were loomlings. They would, however, do anything for the other, don’t let them fool you.”

“I…”

The Doctor’s mother took Rose’s hands. “Don’t worry about the High Council. I will stand for you and make sure you don’t have to leave his side. You just watch out for my son.” She looked at the Doctor and smiled sadly before looking back at Rose. “You’re good for him. And thank you.”

“For what?”

The older woman leaned forward and whispered in Rose’s ear. “For loving him. He’s never belonged here, always wanting more...desiring to be loved like you love him.” She pulled back. “I tried to find balance between being a good Time Lady and a good mother, and in doing so was neither. I leave my son in your capable hands.” 

She stepped away from Rose and walked over to the Doctor. After a whispered conversation, she slipped something into the Doctor’s hands and turned to leave. “Rose. Remember, you won’t have to leave, therefore it’s your choice. Follow your heart.”

“I don’t understand. What’s my choice?”

The Doctor’s mother smiled and left.

“Doctor? What’s she talkin’ about?”

He stood there quietly and just when Rose thought he’d never say anything, he blurted out, “Bond with me.”

Rose’s breath caught in her throat. “What?”

“Bond with me, Rose. As my bondmate they have to allow you to stay with me.”

“You want me to bond with you so that, what, the Time Lords are forced to accept me here?”

The Doctor’s cheeks pinkened. “No, I want you to bond with me because you love me. I was just hoping you’d see the logical reasons to do it and agree before you made me admit to any feelings.”

Rose’s heart fluttered in her chest. “You still haven’t admitted to any of _your feelings;_ all you did was tell me my own.”

“Ah, is that what I did?”

“Doctor...I love you. I do. An’ I’m pretty sure, no...I know that in the future you love me too, even though you’ve never actually said it. An’ maybe that’s why I feel like it would be betraying you. I mean neither of your future selves were ones for...um, such overt statements of our relationship. I can’t imagine you’ll be very pleased when I get back to that you."

“But there would be nothing to be displeased by. When you return to me, you would have always been wife, well, for as long as he’s known you anyway. What if it was always meant to happen this way?” The Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “To push you away after my memories come back would do you a grave disservice. And honestly, I’ve known you a short time and already cannot imagine myself doing any such thing. I admit I have loved, in some fashion, almost all of my previous companions, but nothing compares to the feelings that I have for you. My hearts beat for you alone. I swear I was yours by the time you grabbed my hand and said, ‘Run.’ Please, Rose, bond with me...be mine?”

“I’m already yours.” Rose bit her lip. “Are you sure it wouldn't mess up our future? You already being my husband when we meet for the first time? My first time? I mean, you didn’t seem to know me any more than I knew you.”

“I'm a Time Lord; I'll forget what I have to in order to preserve our future, and your past. It won’t be much more than I’d have to anyway since you insist on staying with me, silly girl. But I need you, Rose.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? You won’t regret it one day?”

“Rose...I am the same man, your Doctor, and I’m sure I haven’t wanted anything more in my lives. I could never regret wanting you for my bondmate.”

Rose nodded. “Okay.”

The Doctor looked at Rose in question. “Okay you believe me or okay you’ll marry me?”

She laughed. “Both.”

The Doctor whooped in joy and picked Rose up and spun her around. He looked over his shoulder at his friend. “Romana, grab a length of ribbon. We have a handfasting to perform.”

Romana stood there worrying about all the potential repercussions of the Doctor’s impetuousness.

“Romana!”

“What?”

“Fetch a ribbon.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now. I’m marrying my Rose.” He wrapped his arms around Rose and pulled her closer to him. She smiled her tongue touched grin. He groaned and leaned in for a kiss.

Romana frowned at the Doctor; such intimate displays were unbecoming of a Time Lord. Braxiatel cleared his throat to get her attention, and when she looked over at him, he was holding a red ribbon edged in gold. “Where did you…? You knew!”

He quirked his lips. “From the moment I met her.”

Romana took the ribbon with a sigh and approached the happy couple. “Doctor, are you sure-”

“Yes, now get on with it.”

“Very well.” Romana took a deep breath and adopted an air of solemnity. “Time Lords of Gallifrey, honored members of the House of Lu-”

“The abridged version, if you please?”

“It doesn't please me. You are a son of two of the oldest houses on Gallifrey; it is only befitting that-”

“Abridged...but the full marriage bond ceremony.”

“The full…? But we...those simply aren’t done anymore.”

“Romana…”

Romana let out a growl of frustration. “Vey well...Rose, Doctor, do the both of you come freely and willingly to this handfasting? For the purposes of binding yourselves together by the ancient and sacred rites of time everlasting?”

The Doctor smiled at Rose. “Yes.” 

She blushed and nodded. “Yes.”

Romana turned to Braxiatel. “Braxiatel, son of the House Lungbarrow, do you stand for your brother and consent to this marriage?”

Braxiatel bowed to Romana. “I consent and give it readily.”

“Rose, since you don’t have a member of your family present, we can-”

“But I do.”

Romana looked at Rose in confusion. Rose motioned to the Doctor. “The Doctor’s a part of my family.”

“Not quite yet.”

“He’s my chosen family. Has been since his ninth self, even before we were properly together an’ still jus’ best mates.”

“None of that has happened yet.”

“It’s happened for me...ages ago. An’ the big things don’t change in regeneration, right? So he is an’ always will be my family.”

“But...but he’s the groom!”

“So?”

Romana huffed and mumbled under her breath. “Lord Rassilon, but the two of them are going be the cause of my next regeneration.”

Braxiatel laughed at her side. “They really are perfect for each other.”

“May the Eternals help us all, if they ever engineer progeny.” Romana took a bracing breath. “Doctor, son of the House Lungbarrow, do you stand for your, er, for Rose Tyler and consent to this marriage?”

The Doctor bowed to Romana. “I consent and give it gladly.”

Romana stepped before the Doctor and Rose, ribbon held aloft. “The vows you pledge today will be as veritable as the ribbon that binds you physically. Do you understand and wish to continue?”

“Yes.”  
“Yeah.”

Romana directed Rose and the Doctor to face each other and clasp hands. Raised at chest level, she bound their hands and wrists and tied the ends with a flourish.

“You have both laid claim to a desire to weave the strands of time that plot your path into one. Will you allow the promises you make to each other here today to be the foundation of a union that stretches across all of your years and lifetimes?”

“Yes.”  
“Yes.”

“Do you vow to hold in honor your partner’s timeline, past, present, and future?”

“I do.”  
“Yes...I do.”

“Do you vow to respect each other as equals within and notwithstanding the regeneration?”

“I do.”  
“I do.” Rose gently squeezed the Doctor’s hand, and he gave her a knowing grin.

“Do you vow to share your responsibilities, especially those of being time’s protectors?” 

“I do.”  
“I do.”

“Do you vow to tend to the garden of each other’s mindscape as you would your own?”

“I do.”

Rose’s heart skipped a beat as she thought of her future Doctor being alone in his mind, and she vowed to herself fiercely, ‘Never again.’ “I do.” If the vehemence of her statement surprised the Doctor, he didn’t let on.

“You have bound yourselves physically and spoken your vows al-” 

Braxiatel cleared his throat, interrupting Romana. She looked at him askance. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. 

“That's not part of the-” 

“I believe it is traditionally part of most Earth ceremonies, and in deference to the bride’s origins…”

“Very well. Doctor, Rose, do you vow to...love and cherish each other?”

The Doctor’s look turned heated. “I do.”

Rose blushed under the Doctor’s gaze. “I do, too.”

“You have bound yourselves physically and spoken your vows aloud before both time and Time Lord. May your timelines run together always.” Romana stepped back from the couple and the Doctor tugged Rose by their bound hands toward him. His free hand dropped to her waist to steady her. 

He spoke so softly only she could hear, “The next bit is just for the two of us,” and leaned his forehead against hers. He slowly raised the hand at her waist to her temple. Rose mirrored his action and closed her eyes. She felt a gentle press against her mind as he asked, “May I have entry?” 

No sooner than Rose nodded did she feel a swirling presence in her mind. Rose was surprised that on a visceral level she immediately recognized the Doctor’s mind and soul. It was so breathtakingly beautiful, so familiar, so right. She wanted to weep at the feeling of completeness it brought about. It was as if she hadn’t known she was missing him in her mind, until he was there where he belonged. 

_Rose…_ His mental voice sighed her name and she felt filled with him, which was a bit strange, but not unpleasant, not at all. Not unlike… She blushed as she made the connection with another type of intimate act. She heard his chuckle spread through her thoughts. _There’ll be time for that later._

_Promise?_ She thought the question at him before she was quite cognizant of it. She felt her face heat up further, and embarrassment radiated off her.

_I know this is new for you, and I swear I’ll teach you how to control sending through thoughts you don’t want to, but don’t be embarrassed. I vowed to honor, respect and cherish you, and I meant it. You’re safe with me._

_I know and I trust you, Doctor. Just caught me off guard is all. But...do you? Promise that...we can...later? LIke this?_

_Oh, yes._ He shared with her his desire for her. She let it flow over her and then tried to send the same back. She was successful if the squeak she heard from him was anything to go by. _Later._ He managed to get the word out before he withdrew slightly from her mind. She could hear him breathing heavily and could feel him pulling his emotions in order. _We...we still need to finish the bonding ceremony._

Rose recalled the presence of others in the room with them. _Oh!_

The Doctor once again allowed himself to enter her mind, though this time with a tighter rein on his thoughts and emotions. Without either the Doctor or Rose realizing it, Bad Wolf closed the door on Rose’s knowledge of the Doctor’s future. 

He made a small home for himself in a corner of her mind and showed her his awe, respect and love. 

She followed the bond back and into his mind to try and do the same for him. She heard him gasp and felt his surprise as she entered the cathedral of his mind. _How…? You are amazing, my love._ She could feel the vastness of the shared Time Lord consciousness, and it made her feel tiny. _You’re anything but tiny. Rose, you’re incredible. I’ve never experienced a mind so bright and infinite. You truly are a goddess._

_I create myself…_ The memory echoed through both their minds and they shivered at the small glimpse of the power running through Rose’s veins. 

_My Rose, you gave me something to believe in, when I thought there was nothing. I love you and I give myself unto you. Mind, body, and soul._ The Doctor’s presence in her mind flared brightly and then settled to a soft glow. A chiming melody sang out to her and seared itself across her heart.

_Wha’? What was that?_

_My true name and my vow to you. It is yours, to only be spoken by you, as I am yours, only to be loved by you._

Happiness swelled in Rose until it overflowed and caused tears to trickle from her eyes. _My Doctor. You showed me a better way to live and made me believe in myself. I love you and give myself to you. Mind, body, and soul. Forever._ At her vow, the Doctor was given a glimpse of their entwined timelines running without end. There were periods of knots and twists, but it always managed to smooth back out. A little of the fear he’d held so firmly to regarding the future eased, and he let the peace of being connected to his soulmate wash over him.

So focused were the two on each other, Romana’s voice as she ended the ceremony sounded far away. “You stand here united by fabric made of fiber, but it is not those strands that will keep you bound together. It is the promises that you have given each other that weave the fabric of your past, present, and future. By the strength of your convictions, I pronounce you bound as one.”

The Doctor and Rose stood wrapped up in each other, and Romana glanced uncomfortably to Braxiatel. He stepped forward and cleared his throat. “You may kiss your bride.”

The Doctor eased back from Rose and when her eyes fluttered open, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a hard kiss. She sighed into him and moved her free hand from the side of his face to the back of his neck. At the first brush of her fingers through his hair, he pulled her more firmly against him and deepened the kiss. 

“Doctor!”

They broke from the snog, and Rose buried her face in the crook of the Doctor’s neck. He kissed her on the cheek and wrapped his arm around her. “Sorry, Romana. If you don’t need anything further, my wife…” He couldn’t keep the smile from his voice. “...and I will continue this in our own set of rooms. Come, love.”

“Doctor, aren’t you forgetting something?” Braxiatel stood waiting patiently.

His confusion must have been obvious because Braxiatel mouthed, “Mother’s gift.”

“Ah!”

The Doctor untied the bonding ribbon and slipped it carefully into his pocket. When he removed his hand, he brought with him a small charm. Rose could see that it was inscribed with writing, but it wasn’t English nor the circular Gallifreyan that the Doctor preferred. “What’s it say?”

The Doctor ran his thumb over the surface of it. “It’s Old High Gallifreyan. It’s the mark of the Lost House of Gallifrey.” He raised his eyes to meet hers. “It’s my mother’s gift to you. It’ll afford you a certain measure of protection among the Time Lords.”

“Lost House?”

“Time Lord society was founded by the original three: Rassilon, Omega, and a Time Lord known only as the Other. Omega was killed while bringing the Time Lords out of the Dark Times, so Rassilon co-ruled with the Other. Well, Lord President Rassilon was power hungry - still is truth be told - and didn’t want to share power for very long. The Other knew a plot was afoot to kill him, and so he threw himself into the looms. Afterward, Rassilon had the Other’s true name stripped from the records. Now it’s lost to time. His House, however, was powerful.” The Doctor held up the charm. “Powerful enough to raise empires and destroy gods...or give safeguard to one of its claimed members. That’s why my mother wanted you to have it. You’ll be under the shield of one of the most ancient founding Houses.”

“Is that, erm, Longbarrow?”

“Lungbarrow, but no. That’s my father’s House. My mother is one of the last descendants of the Lost House of Gallifrey. The name of the house is as lost as its founder’s.”

“If there aren’t any people left, except a very few, how does that keep me safe?”

“Old High Gallifreyan, even in its written form, holds a power of its own. You are protected, Rose.”

The Doctor found a length of twine in his jacket and used it to attach the charm to Rose’s wrist. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. “Come, we should move the TARDIS to our quarters, and get ourselves settled. And then I believe we had some unfinished business.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her to make her laugh.

Rose rolled her eyes at the Doctor, but couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her face as he escorted her from the room.

\--

Rassilon strode into his private Council Chamber with a scowl. “That idiot had the nerve to bring a human here and bond with her. If his house hadn’t chosen semantectomy years ago, I’d have his name ripped from every record on Gallifrey!”

“Lord President, sir, by all accounts she isn’t fully human.”

Rassilon spun on the Lord Chancellor. “Did I ask for your opinion?”

The smaller man cowered and hung his head. “No, sir. Apologies.”

“And now to hear she’s been claimed as a member of the Lost House. It’s a travesty. She’s unworthy of the status. I want you to have my Guard set up a detail to watch their every move while in the Capitol. I don’t trust any of them.”

“The Doctor and his wife?”

“All of them. That Renegade and the Abomination known as Rose Tyler, but also his brother, mother, and known associates such as Romanadvoratrelundar.”

“But, sir, that is highly irregular! Romanadvoratrelundar is a distinguished former Lady President and the Mother is an esteemed member of the-” 

“I can replace you like that.” Rassilon fist met his gauntleted hand. The other man gulped as the Lord President pinned him in place with a glare. “Now, is there a problem?”

“N-no, sir. I’ll have it done straight away.”

“You are dismissed.”

The Lord Chancellor fled the room to do the Lord President’s bidding.

“How dare he!” Rassilon banged his hand on the table and a throat was cleared behind him. He turned to find the General.

“You sent for me, Lord President?”

“Yes. I want you to get rid of the Doctor and his...pet.”

“Get rid of?”

“Find some outpost to send them to. The more dangerous the better.”

The General bowed to his president with a slick grin. “I know just the place, sir.”


	3. Skull Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry for the long delay. I will try not to let it go that long again!

Rose and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and into their first mission for the Council. A young soldier was waiting to escort them to their new post.

“Welcome, sir.” He turned to Rose and nodded. “My lady.”

Rose held her hand out to the young man. “Call me ‘Rose’ and him ‘Doctor.’ Not ones for formalities, us. What’s your name?”

“Lieutenant Gastron, ma’am.” Rose arched her eyebrow. “Sorry. Rose.”

Rose gave the young man a huge smile causing him to fluster. She threaded her arm through the Doctor’s after he locked the TARDIS doors and they turned to Gastron expectantly.

The young soldier glanced at their empty hands and stammered, “What? Wh-where are your weapons?”

He tapped his head. “Only weapon I need is right here.”

Gastron turned to Rose in shock. “But-”

She shrugged. “I lost my blaster a few months ago, haven’t had the opportunity to replace it.”

“But this base is on high alert!”

“We do things differently. Fight in a different manner.” 

“My chosen name is Doctor. I won’t take lives if I can help it.”

A frown settled over Gastron’s features. He opened his mouth to argue, but caught sight of the Doctor’s face and sighed. “Very well. If you’ll follow me.” 

The three of them made their way through the base that the Time Lords had commandeered after the Mortallians fled. What had once been the first step in Mortalla’s space exploration - a self-sustaining colony - had long ago been destroyed by fighting due to its proximity to Gallifrey. In fact, it was the craters caused by heavy bombing that gave life to the small moon’s newest name, “Skull Moon,” because on approach from orbit it looked like nothing if not a lifeless, pale skull.

Gastron quickly typed in a code that gave them entry to the Colonel’s war room. 

Rose noticed and singsonged to the Doctor through their bond, _No one’s as quick as Gastron..._

The Doctor’s brow arched. _Beauty and the Beast, my dear?_

She gave him a tongue touched grin. _I know how much you love Disney._

_Always good to know one’s preference in animated films hasn't changed._

_‘S like you say, ‘the important things don't change.’_

She heard his burst of mental laughter and her smile grew wider.

The clearing of a throat brought the Doctor and Rose’s attention to a tall, thin man with a pinched look about his face. He dismissed the young lieutenant and turned to greet the couple. “My Lord Doctor. And…” His eyes raked over Rose with a small frown that he quickly hid behind a tight smile. “My lady.”

The Doctor noticed and bristled at the Colonel’s disrespect of Rose. She grabbed his hand and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. _Leave it. We’re here to do a job. I know there’re many small minded Time Lords that will hate me for my human origins. Can we please just ignore it?_

_But Rose-_

_Please, Doctor._

_Very well, my love._

“So, Colonel, what can my wife and I do for you?”

The other man grimaced at the human term. The Doctor just smiled and Rose rolled her eyes. 

_Git._

_What’d I do?_

“Well, we’ve been having a slight difficulty with-” A klaxon pierced the air cutting off the Colonel.

The Doctor ran to the base’s security monitors and quickly scanned the screens. “The perimeter’s been breached!”

The Colonel joined Rose in peering over the Doctor’s shoulder. “But that’s impossible!”

Rose pointed to a screen showing a back entrance to the compound being cut into by a laser. “What’s that?”

The Doctor pulled up a readout on the main computer and frowned. “Ruby heat laser. That’s Dalek technology.”

“Daleks?”

“Most likely. Though they have any number of allies it could be.”

The Colonel yelled, “It can’t be Daleks. We’ve got force field surrounding the planet that’s impenetrable to bonded polycarbide!”

The Doctor flipped some switches and laughed bitterly. “The force field’s been turned off. It’s an ambush. Mighty coincidental that the attack was planned almost down to the minute we got here.”

The Colonel glared at the Doctor. “What are you implying?”

“Not implying anything. But it seems you’ve a traitor in your midst.”

The Colonel sputtered, “That’s, we...we simply cannot! Maybe it’s you who’s to blame. We were doing fine until you got here.”

Rose turned to him. “Fine? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s why we were sent here. An’ anyway the force field was turned off before we got here. Now the question is did you know and what’re we gonna do about it?”

“Rose, we’ll worry about that later. First we need to deal with the Daleks.”

The Doctor pressed a button and spoke into a speaker. “Alert! Enemy incoming, likely Daleks. Code Mauve! Code Mauve!”

The Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her from the room. The Colonel stood staring after them. They ran through the corridors shouting out warnings and trying to manually deadlock any door they came across.

The Doctor tossed Rose the sonic. “Setting 84B.” 

While she was securing the doors, he was hacking into the information terminal. He banged the controls. “Ah! Whoever it was was smart enough to cover their tracks.”

Rose backed away from the door and into the Doctor. “They’re gettin’ in.”

He glanced over and, sure enough, they were cutting through the steel. “Come on, if they make it in, it’ll be a slaughter. We’ve gotta get everyone out.”

“But it could be a trap!”

“I know.” The Doctor opened a communication channel. “This is the Doctor. I am ordering all soldiers to arm up and evacuate the base. We have a breach. Arm up and get out, but be prepared for a trap. I repeat, be prepared for a trap.”

“Is that gonna be enough? It’s didn’t seem like there were all that many people here. We don’t know how many Daleks there are.”

The Doctor ran a hand through his curls. “No, this base is tiny. It could be a massacre, but I have an idea. We have to get back to the command center and hold them off for a bit.”

\--

Rose was fighting side by side with Gastron and the rest of the Time Lords on Skull Moon. They were just outside the base and trying to prevent the horde of reanimated, dead Mortallians that the Daleks were controlling from gaining entry to the Moon base where the Doctor was working on his plan. The only bright spot was that the Daleks actually present numbered in the low single digits. She didn’t know what would have happened if there had been more. Already the three she had spotted had killed eight Time Lords dead, past the point of regenerating. She wanted to focus on blasting the Daleks out of existence, but not only had the Daleks somehow managed to adapt themselves to Time Lord weaponry, they had enough of the zombie like creatures to outnumber the living by at least three times. And while the re-animated dead were slow and clumsy, not at all like their well trained opponents, they were still overwhelming in their sheer volume. 

The Time Lords may have been well trained, but none of them were a Torchwood trained human/TARDIS hybrid. She threw a manic grin at Gastron and took off running, making herself a target rather than those who could still die. “Rose! Stop! What are you doing?”

Rose spun and kicked out knocking over two shuffling Mortallians. She grabbed a Dalek blaster from them, and disabled six others. They didn’t stay down long. Whatever the Dalek’s were using to control them, had them reconstituting and bouncing back within seconds of falling. The Time Lords were not so lucky, regeneration incapacitating them for several, long minutes. They were in a holding pattern of temporarily knock out a Mortallian, try not to get killed doing it, regenerate as quickly as possible if needed, and try to avoid permanent death by Dalek. Unfortunately, Rose could see that too many had already fallen victim to the Daleks. They were losing people one by one. _The Doctor had better hurry if we’re to have a chance at saving any of the Time Lords._

She turned to check on her compatriots and noticed a Dalek rolling up on Gastron from behind, but he was distracted dealing with a swarm of nine Mortallians.

“Shit. Gastron!”

Rose blasted the Dalek with its own tech and watched in satisfaction as its outer casing exploded. 

Rose shouted out to the others nearby, “Dalek weapons work! Use their own weapons against-” Rose felt a searing pain spread across her back and everything went black.

\--

The Doctor stood, breathing harshly, surrounded by the bodies of the Mortallian dead, no longer re-animated. They, along with the felled Time Lords, made for a macabre scene. 

“YOU DID THIS, DOCTOR. AND SHALL BE FOREVER REMEMBERED AS THE BUTCHER OF SKULL MOON.” 

The Dalek’s words had the Doctor flinching. “You and your...your horde of travesties...you attacked us!”

“EMERGENCY SPACIAL SHIFT.” The last Dalek left behind blinked out of the space and back to the Dalek Flagship.

The Doctor dropped to his knees and cradled Rose’s lifeless body to him. “Come on, darling. Wake up. I know you can. Please.”

Gastron walked up behind him and put his hand on the Doctor’s shoulder. “I'm so sorry, sir. She died a valiant death. If it hadn’t been for...she saved my life.”

“She’s not dead.”

“A full on strike from a Dalek laser? There’s no surviving that.”

The Doctor looked up to Gastron’s pitying expression and narrowed his eyes. “She’s not a Time Lord, she’s better than that.”

“I’ve heard she’s human. They’re genetically inferior. If a Time Lord can’t-”

“If I believe in anything, I believe in her. She. Will. Recover.”

“It’s been 10 minutes already, if she was going to re-”

The Doctor growled his displeasure.

Gastron lowered his eyes. “If you say so, sir.”

The Doctor scooped Rose up in his arms and strode for the TARDIS.

\--

Rose’s eyes fluttered open and she noticed her husband hovering over her. “How long was I out for this time?”

“This time?” The Doctor’s eyebrows flew up. “Just how many times has this happened? I mean I know about the crash on Karn, but-”

Rose tried to sit up and cringed as the muscles in her upper back protested.

The Doctor shifted closer to her side. “Lay back down, darling.”

“‘M okay.” She pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched through the tightness. The tingling of time running through her veins made her itch to move. “That one was the worst yet. Don’t recommend death by Dalek.”

The Doctor crossed his arms, clearly unamused by her attempt at levity. “How many times, Rose?”

She sighed and leaned back against her pillow. “That was the seventh...no. Eighth not-quite death.”

“Eight times!”

Rose nodded. “Yeah. First time it took me nearly an hour to come back. My mum thought…” Rose brushed tears from her eyes. “How long was it this time?”

The Doctor took a moment answering. “13 minutes.”

“Not bad, considering.”

“As soon as I got you back to the TARDIS you started to come around.”

“Thanks, Old Girl.” Rose ran her fingertips over the coral wall behind her. “Your plan worked then?”

“Rose…”

“Please. I promise we’ll talk about...it, but first I’d like to know about the others. Gastron?”

“Safe.” It was the Doctor’s turn to sigh. “It didn’t quite work, my original plan. I was hoping to cobble together a Delta wave, but I couldn’t get the frequency exactly right to wipe out only the Daleks. They got away, well most of them. You managed to destroy one, the Colonel got the one that hit you, and-”

“The Colonel? Really?”

The Doctor’s lip twitched upward. “Yeah, he was pretty shaken up by the fact that you’d seemed to have been killed under his watch. He’s small minded, but not as bad as I originally thought.”

Rose smiled at the way the Doctor ruffled his hair, reminding her of his future self. “Mmhmm. So what happened with the Delta wave?”

“Nothing. I scrapped it and used the components to build a signal disrupter. That’s why it took me so long. I disabled the reanimator that the Dalek’s had been using to keep the Mortallians fighting. Wiped out their army with the flick of a switch. Let the Time Lords focus their energies on the Daleks. They retreated pretty quickly after that.”

“Good.”

The Doctor stretched out alongside his wife and waited.

Rose glanced at him. “You’re not gonna let this go are you?”

“No, don’t suppose I will.”

She tried to suppress her smile and settled herself closer to him. “The first time I...died...for lack of a better word, was after you and I got separated.” Rose did the mental calculations. “‘Bout 16 months after. I’d gone to work for my step-dad’s company. They deal in interplanetary diplomacy and Earth defense. And as such we run into the odd extraterrestrial on occasion. Thought it would be the best way of finding my way back to my...this universe. Anyway, one afternoon, right in the center of London, a ship full of Ptolians crashla-”

“Ptolians? But they’re a peaceful race.”

Rose grinned wryly. “That they are. The metro police on the other hand were scared outta their wits. I got hit by friendly fire…’Friendly fire.’ Such a stupid expression. The guy who shot me wasn’t too friendly. He intended to kill the Ptolian leader; I just happened to get in the way.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Didn’t much matter. After I went down, they massacred the whole lot. One gun goes off, then everyone starts shooting. I got hit straight in the chest, pierced my heart and collapsed a lung. One of my teammates got nicked in the arm and shoulder. All the Ptolians were killed.”

“I’m so, so sorry, Rose.”

She sniffed back her tears. “My dad raised hell, think he would have anyway, but when my mum heard what happened…” Rose let out a watery laugh. “The metros were well out of their jurisdiction. Got the lot of ‘em sacked.” She shrugged. “And in the end, I came back.”

“About that. Your parents are both human right? How are you even possible?”

“Let’s make that a story for another day.”

“Rose.”

“I can’t say. The timelines...an’ even if I could I don’t really know for sure, I have some ideas, but...it’s another reason I was trying to find future you. Just happy I’m still here.” 

“I am too, darling. I am too.”

Rose glanced at the Doctor through her lashes. “That so? Then why don’t you show me how much?” 

She leaned forward and rested her lips on his, letting their breath mingle. The Doctor ran his hand up and down her back. “You sure you’re feeling up to it?”

“God, yes. Can’t you feel it?” 

The Doctor paused in his ministrations and opened their bond more fully. He could feel the energy pulsing beneath her skin and mixing with her desire. 

“Is it like this everytime you come back?” His fingertips sparked when they slipped under the back of her shirt and he touched her skin. His own arousal built. 

“Yeah. But never had a ready and willing Doctor nearby. So this’ll be a first.” 

He crashed their lips together. Rose adjusted the angle of her head to deepen their kiss. 

She was bristling with vortex energy, and she funneled the excess into their lovemaking. There was no slow buildup. She frantically tore at his clothing. He pulled her vest over her head and marked her skin with his teeth and tongue. Her hands skated through his curls holding his head to her breast. He nipped up her neck, and she scraped her nails along his spine. When he finally entered her, neither lasted very long. They chased their own pleasure and looped it back to the other through their bond, until they reached an explosive, mutual release.


	4. The First Prophecy

The Doctor paced back and forth in his brother’s suite of rooms within the Citadel.

“I’d like to study how she regenerates and heals.”

The Doctor stopped in his tracks. “Absolutely not.”

Braxiatel leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Don’t you trust me, brother?”

“Not with this.” He shook his head. “Not with her.”

“I should be offended by that.”

The Doctor snorted and resumed his pacing across the shiny floor. “But you’re not.”

“No. I’m not. I understand her importance to both you and the future of Gallifrey.”

The Doctor stopped suddenly. “Do you really believe Gallifrey has a future? Some days, it’s so hard to...” He sighed.

“I have to believe we do, or I’m afraid I’d become like the rest of them...stopping at nothing to survive. But she’s from your future, so at least I can cling to that little thread of hope.”

“Well, you’re one of the only ones that feel that way. After that ridiculous prophecy was found and all eyes turned to her, I don’t trust anyone to be able to keep her secrets. There are too many eyes watching. And too many who would see her downfall.”

“You must admit, as far as prophecies go...I can see why they think it’s about her.”

The Doctor looked at his brother in shock. “You can’t tell me you believe that twaddle.” 

Brax grinned. “‘A Valiant Child will die in battle, and the blood spilled will herald the era of the wolf.’ Very poetic.”

“Oh, please. She’s hardly a child-”

“If she were a Time Lord, she’d be but a babe.”

“She’s not though, and that’s my wife you talking about. Also, in case you haven’t noticed, she didn’t die in battle. She is very much alive.” The Doctor scoffed. “And the era of the wolf? Ridiculous. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“The Visionary seems to think otherwise. There are no wolves on Gallifrey. Why choose that word? Hmm? Think about it. The words ‘Bad Wolf’ follow your Rose everywhere. ”

The Doctor paled. “Bad Wolf? How do you...?”

Braxiatel smirked. “I am a man of many talents, Doctor, and one of them is collecting information. You’d do well to remember that.” The Doctor narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Now, now, don’t give me that look. I’m not your enemy. Never _your_ enemy. And that extends to your enigmatic wife. But, dear brother, whether the Visionary chose wolf specifically to draw attention to Rose or because it truly references her, that’s beside the point. There are apparently a trio of prophecies regarding the Time War. That was only the first. When the other two are found, you’d better hope they don’t point to your bondmate or it could mean even more trouble with Rassilon and the Council.”

The Doctor pulled on his hair. “Speaking of Rassilon, I’ve a feeling he was behind the ambush at Skull Moon.”

Brax sat forward in his seat, as serious as the Doctor had ever seen him. “Be careful who you go telling that to, Thete. I know it’s been a while since you’ve spent any significant amount of time here, but the walls within the Capital have straining ears and loose lips.”

“Should I do nothing then? Is that your advice?”

“Of course not. I’ll look into it and see what my contacts have to say. Just don’t go off half cocked as you tend to.” 

“Why I’ll have you know-”

“There are fractions within the Senate who regret resurrecting Rassilon and we can perhaps find allies there, but with each victory he brings in against the Daleks, the popular tide turns in his direction, so we must use caution. I know you lean more toward action and hate waiting, but politics is-”

The door to Brax’s room swished open and Romana and Rose entered.

“Darling, I’ve missed you.” The Doctor took Rose’s hands in his and kissed her knuckles.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face. “You nutter, I haven’t even been gone 20 minutes.”

“Seventeen minutes and 32 seconds, and I missed you every moment.” 

The Doctor leaned in to kiss his wife when Romana cleared her throat. 

“Doctor, you’ve been given another assignment.”

He pressed a kiss to the tip of Rose’s nose and grinned. “Ah, and where does the Council want to send us this time?”

Romana took a breath. “I’m afraid this time it is just you, Doctor. Rose is to stay here and be questioned regarding the prophecy.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Prophecy?” Rose asked in confusion.

“Rassilon ordered it himself. She cannot turn down a direct request from the Lord President if she wishes-”

“What prophecy?”

“It’s nothing, Rose. I’ll tell you about it later.”

Romana sputtered. “Noth- It’s...it’s not nothing!”

Hurt flashed across Rose’s features. “You knew about it and didn’t tell me?”

“It’s a ridiculous piece of fiction. Nothing but superstitious nonsense.”

“So what does it have to do with me?”

The Doctor flushed. “Some people might believe that the prophecy is about you.”

“Then you should have told me about it!” Rose turned away from the Doctor mumbling, “If ever I doubted you were the same man...”

Romana interrupted what could only be the beginning of an ill timed argument, “Life here could get very difficult for you if you dare to push back against the President too much.”

“This is completely unacceptable. She shouldn’t be questioned without me present.”

“Doctor, I urge you to consider this from all angles.”

“No, you don’t understand. I don’t trust Rassilon to not try something while Rose is alone with him.”

“She won’t be alone, the Council-”

“He’s behind the ambush at Skull Moon.”

Romana gasped. “You’ve proof of that?”

The Doctor grimaced. “No, right now I have only my suspicions, but-”

“Who else have you told this to?”

“Just Brax.”

“I told him I was going to look into it for them.”

“Tread lightly, Doctor. It’s a very serious charge.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

Rose took the Doctor’s hand and laced their fingers together. “You see why we don’t want to be split up? This would be the perfect time to go after one or the other of us. ‘Cos we’re stronger together.”

“If you don’t appear before the Council for questioning, Rose, you’ll be creating more issues for you both. I think it best if you each go along with the plan to separate you and knowing that something might be afoot you can prepare yourselves. Plus, we drop hints about the first ambush around those already suspect of Rassilon and if something is tried, it will be easier for us to sway them further.”

Rose bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

Romana turned to her former mentor. “And you?”

“Where do they want me sent this time?”

“Voltrix has been given information on the Supreme Dalek’s location. She’s ordered a fleet of Battle TARDISes to attack. You’ve been selected to lead the offensive.”

“Lead? Me?”

Romana smirked. “Oh, did I forget to mention? You’ve been promoted to Colonel, Doctor.”

“What?!”

There was a soft knock on Brax’s door, before a Time Lady, dressed in the uniform of Gallifrey’s army, entered. 

Romana held out her hands in welcome to the newcomer. “Petrella. So good of you to come right away.”

Petrella nodded and nervously spun her helmet in her hands. “Yes, well, I was told it was urgent.”

“This is the Doctor. You will be serving under his command.” 

Petrella’s mouth fell open. “The... _the_ Lord Doctor?”

Rose muttered, “God help me if there are more of him runnin’ around right now.”

The Doctor laughed and winked as his wife. “With me you never know.” He extended his hand to the soldier. “A pleasure.”

The Doctor turned back to Rose and ran his hands up and down her upper arms. “I should go, love.”

“I don’t like this. Not even a little.”

“I’ll be fine, Rose. See what you can dig up during your interview with the High Council. And be careful.” 

“I can handle myself. It’s you I worry about.”

“My Lady...” Rose glanced inquiringly at Petrella. “I’ll keep an eye on him for you.”

Rose smiled. “He’s very jeopardy friendly. You’ll have your work cut out for you.”

“You wound me, wife!” The Doctor playfully covered his left heart and staggered.

“Thank you, Petrella, I do appreciate it, but-”

“Darling, I swear to you that this will be the only time they split us up.” He sighed. “But Romana’s right, we need to appear to work with them or they’ll become more secretive and dangerous.”

Rose nodded. The Doctor swept her into his arms and snogged the breath out of her. When they pulled back, Brax was smirking, Romana rolled her eyes, and Petrella looked properly scandalized.

The Doctor clapped his hands together. “The sooner we leave, the sooner I can get back to my lovely wife. Ready, Petrella?”

She was still in a daze as she followed the Doctor out of the room.

\-- 

The Doctor stood at the controls of his TARDIS and materialized into a formation of Battle TARDISes. 

He and Petrella studied the monitors. “Look, Doctor, they’re exactly where we were told they’d be. The intel was good.”

The Doctor gripped the controls and studied they information that scrolled across the TARDIS screen. “Fifty Dalek ships. Two-thousand Dalek’s on board each ship. 100,000 Daleks.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get them!”

“Something doesn’t feel right.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, temporal mines flickered from another dimension into the path of the Time Lords. The weapons began shooting lasers at the TARDISes. The Doctor flicked a switch and the rotor began to groan. “Petrella, hold on!”

The Doctor’s TARDIS began flying through space and a shot meant for it struck a Dalek saucer instead. Petrella held tight to the rail that ran around the console and tried to keep a read on what was going on outside. “They’ve decimated a quarter of the Time Lord fleet!” Her eyebrows flew up. “Now half!” 

The TARDIS shook with the effort of avoiding the Dalek weapons. “It’s no good. We’ve got to run.”

Petrella’s voice wobbled. “Three quarters. They’ve destroyed three quarters of the Battle TARDISes.”

“All those lives, it’s just collateral damage to the Daleks.”

“How did they know we’d be there?”

“It was a trap. They were waiting for something...for me. They must have fed us that intel. ”

“But-”

“Well, no more. Set the course for Gallifrey. It’s time I had a word with Rassilon.”

\-- 

The President was seated across from Rose at the head of the table lined with the members of his Inner Council. He leaned forward. “Ms. Tyler, what is your take on the prophecy that so many believe is about you?”

Rose gritted her teeth. “I told you, I don’t even know what the prophecy says.”

He smirked. “But you have a copy of it, right there in front of you.”

Rose looked down in the hopes that the circles and lines would reform themselves into words should read, and sighed. “I can’t read Circular Gallifreyan.”

Rassilon scoffed. “The Doctor’s bondmate can’t read?”

“I can read, just not Circular Gallifreyan. The TARDIS never translates it.”

“Of course not, they’re prohibited from doing so. TARDISes are meant to be flown by Time Lords only. They can’t be giving lesser species a guide to the Time Vortex.” He scoffed, “Can you imagine the damage that could be done?”

Rose looked away. _At least he doesn’t know about that._

“The Visionary will read the prophecy to Rose Tyler.”

An old woman with straggly, gray hair looked at Rose. Her gaze seemingly penetrated straight to Rose’s soul causing her to shudder. “A Valiant Child will die in battle, and the blood spilled will herald the era of the wolf.”

Rose’s face lost its color as the words of the Beast, spoken so long ago, came back to haunt her. Her heart sped up and she didn’t know how she was going to convince them that she had nothing to do with the prophecy now that she was convinced of the very opposite.

“What a very interesting reaction, Ms. Tyler. Mydriasis, an increase in heart rate, and human hormones just flooding through your system. I wonder why? Tell me, what does the prophecy mean?” 

“I...I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me! Bad Wolf is another phrase that follows you around the universe and up and down your timeline. It is no coincidence a wolf is mentioned in the prophecy. Tell me what you know!”

“I...There was a werewolf...well, a Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform at any rate. The Doctor an’ I met one of ‘em once. Could that be it?”

“Don’t play the fool with me, Ms. Tyler. Are you working with the Daleks?”

Rose gasped. “What?!”

“The Daleks. Are you a traitor? Is the Doctor a traitor?”

Rose stood up shaking and placed her palms on the table as she leaned forward. “Say what you will about me, but don’t...don’t ever say that the Doctor...that he would even think of siding with the Daleks. His whole life they have done nothing but try to ruin it. And he gives up everything to prevent them from destroying the universe!”

Rassilon sat back in his seat with a smile. The sight of it, so wrong on his face, stopped her short. She panted feeling regretful and weary from her outburst.

“He gives up everything does he? What do you mean by-”

A door to the Council Chambers flew open and the Doctor stormed in. 

The relief Rose felt had her collapsing into her chair. 

The Doctor glanced to his side and his expression softened for a moment when he saw Rose was okay. 

His mask was back in place by the time he addressed the rest of the Time Lords. “90% of the battle TARDISes were destroyed.”

Rose gasped, but the Doctor didn’t dare look at her. 

“How is that possible, Doctor?” An older member of the Doctor’s own house asked.

The Doctor turned to his cousin. “They knew we were coming and were waiting for us.”

A murmur of surprise made its way around the table. “An ambush?”

The Doctor nodded. “A trap. The Daleks had temporal mines waiting in another dimension and when enough TARDISes arrived, they called them forth. They decimated our battle fleet and it was over for us before we even realized what was happening.”

Rassilon leaned forward in his seat. “That is a disappointing show for your first assignment as Colonel.”

“Disappointing? We were sent to slaughter. Where did that information come from?”

“What are you suggesting Doctor.”

“Where did Councillor Voltrix get her information?”

Rassilon narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying you believe Voltrix to be in league with the Daleks? She’s been-”

“I’m not accusing her of anything. I just think it strange that both places I’ve been sent, the Dalek’s attacked within moments of my arrival there. There might be a traitor in our midst.”

All ambient chatter ceased, as all eyes turned to Rassilon. He sat back with a smug grin. “A traitor you say? I was just questioning your bondmate on the topic before you barged in.”

“Rose?”

“Voltrix has been a key to our victories thus far, but wouldn’t you say it strange that these traps as you say started happening at the same time that Miss Tyler arrived?”

“You can’t seriously be accusing my wife of conspiring against me, against us! She’s my bondmate...I would know.” The Doctor tapped his temple. 

The Time Lords seated around the table nervously glanced at each other.

“Are you involved in treason against the Time Lords as well, Doctor?”

“This is ridiculous. Rose didn’t choose to send us to Skull Moon or me to sector 6-Apple-Sigma-Delta-4. Ultimately it was you.”

The room went deadly quiet, the only sound being the scrape of Rassilon’s chair as he stood. “Are you accusing me of plotting against Gallifrey?”

The Doctor stared him down. “Makes more sense then my wife.” A collective gasp went up. “Check all communications to and from the Capitol after we were given our assignments. You’ll find nothing from me or my wife warning anyone of anything. We couldn’t possibly be involved. But you’d best find out who is. Because when I find the traitor, I’ll deal with them my way.” The Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her to his side. “Let’s go, Rose.”

As the Doctor led Rose from the room, Rassilon slammed his fists on the table. “Damn him!” Rassilon sank into his chair and called for the General.

The man slipped from the shadows in the corner of the room and bowed his head. “Sir.”

“Send men to see if they can salvage any of the temporal mines from the Doctor’s last battle. Our engineers may be able to repurpose them to attack the Daleks.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And find out if Rose Tyler or the Doctor sent any communications either off world or within the Capitol immediately following notification of their assignments.”

The General’s brows rose, but remained silent. He nodded and left the room.

\--

As soon as the door to their suite closed behind them, Rose turned to face the Doctor. “Was that smart to-”

The Doctor pulled her into his arms and kissed her as if they had been parted for months rather than hours. Rose pulled back and slowly opened her eyes. “Doctor?”

“As soon as I realized it was a trap, I was so afraid that Rassilon would try to harm you as well while I was gone.”

Rose cupped his jaw and gave him a half smile. “Made of tough stuff, me.”

“Rose...I know you’ve...cheated death before and I hope that you continue to do so, but Rassilon is...well he is the closest thing to a god that the Time Lords have. A mad, power-hungry god, with access to an arsenal of the universe’s most dangerous weapons. I’m not confident that even you’d be safe from them.”

“But-”

“No. We don’t know if you’re truly immortal or if there’s something out there than can kill you. And I don’t particularly want to test it to find out. I need you, Rose.”

She flung her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder. “Need you too. My Doctor.”

They stood there holding each other for several moments, just breathing in the scent of the other. Rose finally pulled back enough to look him in the eye. “D’you think it was a good idea to provoke Rassilon the way you did?”

“Brax might regenerate me for it, but Rassilon needed to see that I’m not going to be so easy to get rid of and that I’m not going to take his scheming lying down.”

“Wouldn’t be you if you did.” Rose chewed at her bottom lip. “Why you though? What threat are you to him or Gallifrey that he’s workin’ so hard to get rid of you?”

“We have a bit of a history, and it hasn’t always been a pretty one. He is brilliant and has accomplished so much for the Time Lords, but a few times I got in his way and was able to circumvent his plans for me. He doesn’t like not getting his way and might see me as a threat. Especially if he intends to do something horrendous for the sake of winning the war. Cass was right, you know, it’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the Time Lords and the Daleks.” The Doctor hugged her close once again. “I’m so sorry you’ve been dragged into it with this whole prophecy thing.”

“Erm, about the prophecy…”

The Doctor tilted his head and waited. Rose backed up and sank onto their lounger. 

“...I think it’s about me.”

“What?”

“I’m actually certain of it.”

“How?”

“Er, so the first part of it was told to me once before.”

“But-”

“Nearly word for word, Doctor. It was a prophecy told to me about my death.”

“By whom?”

Rose looked worriedly at the Doctor and took a deep breath. “The Devil.”

The Doctor laughed, but at Rose’s hurt expression he sat down beside her. “I’m sorry, darling, but the Devil? Which one. There’s more religions than there are planets in the sky. Archiphets, Orkology, Chris-”

Rose put her hands on his arms. “Look, you didn’t believe it then, I don’t expect you to believe it now. But he said he was the Beast. Had us on a planet orbitin’ a black hole without gettin’ pulled it.”

“But that’s impossible!”

“Was an impossible planet, with an impossible evil, and he called me ‘the valiant child.’ Said I would die in battle soon.”

The Doctor shook his head. “No. No, no, no.”

“You told me he was lying. An’ then after we were separated, I just assumed…” She shrugged. “What’s it mean?”

“It’s not gonna happen, Rose.”

“But the same prophecy from two different sources?” Rose hugged herself.

The Doctor pulled her into his embrace and rested his lips on her temple. “You’re not going to die, I'm not going to let you.”

“A few minutes ago you were afraid Rassilon was gonna kill me, now that you know my death’s been foretold by a Gallifreyan prophecy and the devil himself all of a sudden you've taken the opposite stance?”

“That's me...you’ve married a man who’s quite contrary.”

“Don’t I know it.” Rose teased, but then her grin fell and she caught her lip between her teeth.

“What is it?”

“The second half of the prophecy…”

“The bit about the wolf?”

Rose nodded. “Future you and I once came across a werewolf-”

“Werewolf? There’s no such-”

Rose huffed and crossed her arms. “A Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform.”

“Right, yes. Sorry. Carry on.”

“An’ just before he turned from his human form into his werewolf form he said that I had something of the wolf about me. And he knew that I burned like the sun instead of needing the moon like him.” 

“Burn like the sun? Like on Karn?”

Rose nodded.

“Bad Wolf?”

She nodded again and looked at the floor.

“But what is it? I know you’ve said it’s you, but how?”

“I...I don’t fully understand it myself. I can’t remember everything that happened an’ future you explained it a little, but I’m not sure he even knows the full extent.”

“Tell me? Please.”

“I...I’m not sure if I should. What if I screw up the timelines?”

The Doctor sighed. “I’m going to have to forget, Rose. It’ll be okay. I’ll make certain of it.”

Rose leaned her head on the Doctor’s shoulder. “I absorbed the Time Vortex an-”

The Doctor stiffened beneath Rose. “You did what?”

She glared at him. “You gonna let me tell it or not?”

“Sorry, but...how are you even alive at all? No one is meant to do that? I can’t even-”

“Doctor.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“I don’t remember doing it, just know that the TARDIS is involved somehow.” She glanced at him and he looked like he wanted to say something, but was keeping quiet. Her lips twitched. “Right, so anyway, I somehow absorbed all of time and sort of became a goddess or something. Did it to save you, an’ I did. But I killed you also.” At his questioning look, she told him, “You regenerated trying to remove the vortex from me.”

“You didn’t kill me.”

“You said it felt like dyin’ and I did that to you.” 

“If it came to you dying for good or me regenerating, I would choose to regenerate every single time. No question.”

“But-”

“Every. Single. Time. I don’t like it that you throw yourself in danger for me, but I can appreciate the sentiment behind it. If I could save you I would, because I love you and I can’t bare the thought of a universe without you. I’m guessing you feel the same?”

“Fishing for compliments?” He tried to give her a stern look, but couldn’t maintain it with her fluttering eyelashes. “Oh come ’ere you. Course I love you the same.”

“So, I’ll try to not get too twitchy when you throw yourself into danger for me, if you try not to blame yourself for my regeneration.”

“‘S not gonna be easy-”

“You think it’ll be easy for me?”

“No, don’t suppose it will. Alright, deal.”

Rose stuck her hand out for the Doctor to shake. He glanced at it in amusement, before grabbing it and pulling her up.

He growled before kissing her. “Now that that’s settled, let me show you how much I love you, my bad, bad Wolf.” Still holding her hand he dragged her to their bedroom and proceeded to show her all night long.


	5. The Second Prophecy

Rose’s eyes fluttered open as the light from her bedroom window blanketed over her. Whatever criticism could be made about Gallifrey, the view from her bed was not one of them. 

The Citadel was nestled between the mountains of Solace and Solitude. The Doctor and Rose’s suite of rooms faced the snow-capped top of Solitude - the very same mountain where the Doctor had lived and played as a boy. He’d had dirty blond hair back then, but was just as mischievous as the man he’d grow into. It was a sight she never dreamed to see when she’d first met him, and so she kept it close to her heart for when it was gone.

She stretched and the sheets dropped below her chest. The masculine groan at her side had her rolling over. “Doctor! You’re never still here when I wake up.”

“What can I say? You wore me out last night. Besides, I was enjoying the view when I woke, though I admit I’m enjoying it even more now.” His gaze dropped to his wife’s breast.

Rose rolled her eyes, and cuddled into the Doctor’s chest. “Git.”

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her letting his fingers lightly play along her spine.

They both spent the moment lost in thought. Rose staring at the view of the mountain and thinking of her other Doctors; the Doctor staring at the top of Rose’s head also thinking of her future with him. He rested his cheek on her crown and asked, “How long were you separated from me?”

“What?” Rose looked up at him. “Why’s it matter?”

“I suppose it doesn’t. Not really. I was just curious.” He shrugged it off and went back to caressing her hip.

Rose turned to fully face him and raised her eyebrow. 

He sighed. “It’s just sometimes you get this look and I can tell you’re thinking about…him.”

“You’re jealous? Of yourself?”

“No! Well, maybe. Just a bit. ”

“You’re unbelievable. No, I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Rose snickered. “You are exactly the same man.”

“I-”

She sat up and poked his chest. “No. Listen here, Doctor. I am yours. Yours. This you that I married, the first you that I met and fell in love with, the following you that I hope to one day return to, and-”

“Wait. Are you saying that you’ve known more than one of my future incarnations?”

Rose’s jaw dropped. “Yeah. Couldn’t you tell?” Rose tapped her temple.

“No. You’ve done an excellent job of shielding your past and my future. Not that I would look, even if you hadn’t.”

“Oh. I didn’t even realize…” Rose bit her lip and then tried to contain her smile as she raised her eyes to him. “Since we’re on the subject, let me tell you that springing regeneration on me while it’s happening without really explaining is not the best way to go about things.”

“Rose, I…I what?”

Rose grasped his hand. “Doctor, I love you.”

He squeezed back. “I love you too.”

“I know you do, but I need to say this. I love you. All of you. The ones I’ve known, the ones I’ve never known, and the ones I hope to know in the future. I didn’t have my first Doctor for very long, maybe about eight months and most of that was spent dancing around our feelings. Then my next Doctor...we had only a year before we were separated, and while we were more of a proper couple, there was still so much left unsaid. And to answer your earlier question, we were separated about 3 years before I found this you. That more time apart than we had together. I barely had any time with your future selves and I don’t want to feel guilty for cherishing that time with you.”

“Oh, Rose…”

“Every little moment we had was my foundation for this. What we have right now. And I need you to be okay with that.”

“Of course I am. And I’m so sorry for making you feel otherwise. My only excuse is that I’m a complete and utter git. Honestly, I’m humbled by the love you have, have had, and will have for any and all of my future selves. I promise to try harder not to be a jealous old sod.”

Rose flung herself into his arms. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Thank you for loving me and not giving up on me.”

“You better get used to it, ‘cos you’re stuck with me. Never gonna leave you.”

The Doctor pulled back from their embrace. “I’m going to hold you to that.” 

Rose wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him into a brillant snog.

An incessant knocking at their door finally had them pulling apart. 

The Doctor pulled Rose back to him and kissed along her neck. “Ignore it, darling.” 

Rose angled her head back to give him more room. “What if it’s important?”

“Whoever it is will come back.” The Doctor reached a particularly sensitive spot that had Rose shivering.

“Mmm.” The knocking only increased in force and volume. “Sounds important.”

The Doctor sighed and stopped kissing his wife. “Can’t a man spend one leisurely morning in bed with his bondmate?”

Rose giggled as he stood - getting a nice eyeful of his bum - and pulled on his dressing gown. There was no hiding what they’d been up to last night and this morning. His hair was a mess, his lips looked well kissed, and there were a few bruises peppered along his neck and chest. 

“Go answer the door, and I’ll meet you out there in a mo’.”

The Doctor leaned over to kiss Rose before striding out of the bedroom to answer the urgent knocking.

He pushed the button that would open the door with more force than was necessary. 

“Leela! What are you doing here?”

The Doctor’s former companion stood leaning against the doorframe with a small smile upon her face.

“Hello, Doctor.”

The Doctor pulled her into an embrace and then dragged her into the room.

“My friend, how are you?”

“This is not a social call, Doctor.”

“Oh?”

“Romana sent me. The council voted to resurrect the Master this morning.”

“What?”

“They felt he has certain...qualities that would be beneficial to them in the fight against the Daleks.”

“They’re idiots.”

“They’re desperate.”

“He’s completely self serving. If they think he’d be a loyal soldier…”

Rose sidled up behind the Doctor and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Who’s your friend, Doctor?”

The Doctor turned and smiled. “Darling, this is Leela. She was my companion in my fourth body. Also human.”

“Oh! Another human on Gallifrey?”

“Leela, my wife, Rose.”

Leela held out her hand for Rose to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rose. I’ve heard much about you and have been looking forward to meeting you.” 

She took it easily. “You too.” Rose turned to the Doctor. “What was all that about no humans on Gallifrey before we bonded?”

The Doctor ran his hands through his curls. “Ah, well generally that’s the case, but Leela is married to a Time Lord and as such has the same privileges as you.”

Rose faced Leela with a brilliant grin. “I hope we can be friends. It’ll be so nice to have another human to talk to.”

Leela was taken aback for a moment by the intensity of Rose’s smile, but found herself nodding. “It will be nice. It’s not always easy being an outsider among the Time Lords. Not that I let them push me around.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from someone the Doctor used to travel with. Told me once he only takes the best. That’s us.” Rose winked at her new friend, who caught a glance of the besotted expression on the Doctor’s face and laughed heartily. 

“I think I’m going to like you very much, Rose.”

The Doctor mumbled, “I’m glad you’re going to like it, I have a feeling this will be very bad for me.”

Rose hugged his arm. “Hush you, I can’t wait to hear all her stories about your younger self.”

“That’s exactly what I mean, Rose!”

Leela looked between the two with a smirk. “Maybe we could get together later in the week for dinner. I’ll bring Andred.”

“Andred?”

“My husband.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Rose clapped her hands.

The Doctor played with the tie of his dressing gown. “Right, well, erm, when are they going through with it? Bringing the Master back?”

“In a few hours.”

“So soon?”

“Rassilon’s adamant for this to happen as soon as possible.”

“Is there the full support of the Council?”

“Well, no. There are a few that have reservations, many of whom are still upset over your accusations of leaks during your last two assignments.”

The Doctor rubbed at his temples. “Thank you, Leela, for letting me know. Tell Romana I’ll be dropping by this afternoon.”

Leela nodded and swiftly left the room. Rose rubbed the Doctor’s back. “Who’s the Master?”

The Doctor glanced at Rose in surprise. “Well, at least I know he won’t plague my future.” 

Rose’s eyes widened at the slip. 

“It’s all right, my dear. He may not be in my far future, but he’ll be plenty of trouble in our near future. The Master is…” The Doctor rubbed his chin. “How do I describe him?”

“Time Lord, I’m guessing?”

“Yes. Of the same age. Went to school together. Friends even. Or I thought we were, but he went mad. Or maybe he always was. Tried everything in his power to destroy me or those that mattered to me. I hadn’t seen him for ages after I left Gallifrey with the TARDIS, but he caught up with me on Earth when I was exiled there in my third body.”

Rose gasped. “Exiled?”

“I’ve never told you any of this?”

“You don’t talk much of the past. I’ve learned what little I do know because every once in a while you say something and I listen, but really, when I think of it, all I have of your past are a collection of crumbs.”

The Doctor clasped Rose’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I know it’s painful for you to…”

“Not all of my past is painful. There were wondrous and beautiful moments. As my wife, I want you to know all of me, and I’ll endeavor to do more on that score.”

Rose squeezed his hand. “And you won’t mind? I mean future you?”

“Rose, if I am, as you say, ‘the same man,’ then I can tell you nothing would please me more. I am often so lonely, even among friends, because I feel that I’m not understood. I’ve never quite fit in here. To have someone, a bondmate, that loves and accepts me for all that I am and can share that with me...well, it’s my most secret desire. So, no. I don’t think I’ll be upset if you’re that person, because I honestly can’t imagine anything I’d want more.”

“Oh, Doctor.” Rose threw herself into the Doctor’s arms and buried her head in the crook of his neck. “There’s nothing I want more than that as well.”

“I’m glad we’re in accord. Now, my darling wife, as much as it pains me to say, I think we should get ready and go find Romana. See if there is anything we can do to stop this.”

Rose kissed his cheek and nodded. “And you can tell me all about this Master bloke on the way.”

“Deal.”

\--

The Doctor and Rose entered the Council chambers and were promptly surrounded by other Time Lords. 

An older gentleman Rose had never seen before spoke first. “Doctor, did you hear about Narvin’s plan to resurrect the Master?”

The Doctor’s eyes widened. “Narvin’s behind it?”

The old man inclined his head and pronounced, “He’s in the matrix room now. It is probably already too late.” 

A Time Lord that Rose recognized from her interview with Rassilon drew their attention. “Doctor, it seems strange that Rassilon would instruct that the Master be brought back.” Rose thought he might have been from the Doctor’s House, Lungbarrow, and slated him as ally.

A Time Lady with shrewd eyes considered them both. “Yes, gravely suspect given your accusations regarding your past few assignments and your history with him.”

The Doctor’s cousin glanced back and forth between the Doctor and the Time Lady, not quite knowing what to make of the accusatory tone to the seemingly obvious statement. He was quick to assure though. “Your claims only strengthen with this development.”

A Time Lord that Rose immediately caused hairs to rise on the back of Rose’s neck sneered at the group. “Don’t be ridiculous. The Doctor’s...colorful past had no influence on this decision. It is for the benefit of Gallifrey.”

Before Rose could open her mouth, the Doctor spoke her thoughts out loud. “How could Gallifrey benefit from a madman being brought back?”

“He’s a skilled warrior. And yes, I admit his previous behavior could be somewhat troubling, but he is cunning and savage and if that is what we need to beat the Daleks, then so be it. For the good of Gallifrey!” The man cheered. Several others in the room picked it up with gusto, others half-heartedly, and the ones that Rose could now determine to be friends of the Doctor remained silent and thoughtful.

The Doctor snorted and crossed his arms. “He would sell out his own mother if it was to further his own purposes. You’re fools to think he would serve Gallifrey, when if at any point betraying the Time Lords to the enemy benefited him, he wouldn’t hesitate.”

Rose was trying to memorize the faces of those who seemed to be antagonistic to her husband when Romana joined the group.

“Romana, you have stories to tell of the Master’s treachery.”

“You know very well, all of these people are well acquainted with the Master and his past. I’m afraid very little I say would cause anyone to change their minds on the matter. And regardless, it’s too late. He’s back and gifted with a full cycle of regenerations.”

“They wouldn’t!”

“The would and they did.”

“What’s Narvin thinking?”

“Oh, that wasn’t Narvin’s doing. That was actually voted on by the High Council-”

“What?”

“-which you would know if you ever deigned to attend a Chamber session. They felt that with the War on, he would go through them faster than normal.”

“That’s a mistake. He can’t be trusted!”

“He is our best hope!”

Rose took a step back from the squabbling and backed into her brother-in-law. 

“Brax!”

He places his fingers on his lips and led her away from the small, but loud group. In a low voice he explained, “They’ve found another prophecy. Luckily this one in no way points to you or the Doctor. It mentions an old Time Lord legend, so that will take some of the doubt away from those that still suspect you. I’m afraid not all, but enough to let the two of you breathe a little easier.”

“Thanks.”

The Doctor walked up behind them and wrapped an arm around Rose. “What’s this about being able to breathe easier?”

Rose turned to him. “They found another prophecy and it doesn’t implicate either of us.”

“Thank the stars. What’s it say?”

“It mentions the Hybrid.”

“The Hybrid?”

Brax nodded. “It says, ‘On the last day of the Time War, walking through the ashes of the Time Lords, the Hybrid will stand over the ruins of Gallifrey and unravel the Web of Time, breaking a billion billion hearts to heal its own.’”

“But that’s an old Matrix prophecy. It’s been around for ages.”

“The second half of it was an old Matrix prophecy, but they found a completed scroll in the Cloisters that ties it specifically to the Time War. Luckily for you two that fact has diverted attention away from the both of you. Rassilon’s assigned a small group to scour the Cloisters and the Matrix to discover any little bit of information about the Hybrid and who or what it is. There’ve always been whispers about it being a Dalek, perhaps the Emperor, since they’re both known enemies and hybrid creatures.”

The Doctor scoffed. “As if Daleks have hearts to mend.”

Brax smiled. “Yes, well, it’s of benefit to you to keep our focus trained in that direction anyway, yes?”

The Doctor sheepishly ran his hand through his hair. “Right.”

Brax clicked his heels together and jauntily saluted Rose. “Well, I’m off. I’m going to see if anything in my collection provides clues to this newest mystery.” He pointed at the Doctor. “Behave yourself, brother.”

“Oi!”

Rose patted his chest. “He never does.”

Brax winked at Rose. “Still, I have hope he might listen one day.”

After waving Braxiatel off, the Doctor turned Rose in his embrace. “Well, there’s nothing for it. With the Master back it’s best if we try and stay out of the Capital as much as possible. Let’s find out what the Time Lords wish for us to do next.”

\-- 

The Doctor and Rose were in their suite preparing for a trip to Marinus. “So Marinus? Anything you tell me about it? What to expect?”

The Doctor was digging through his various chests of bits and bobs or as Rose referred to it, ‘junk,’ for anything that might be useful on their latest assignment. Every so often, he’d shove something in his pockets. “Oh, hmm...was there once in my first body.”

“Was this when you traveled with your granddaughter?”

The Doctor smiled at the memory. “Yes. Susan. You know about her?”

“You mentioned her once after…” She laughed. “After dropping the bombshell on me that you’d- that you were a dad.” She gave him a crooked smile. “I was insanely jealous, but trying to hide it. I mean we were...dating isn’t really the right word, but…” She shrugged. “For all intents and purposes, we were. Considered us a proper couple anyway. You’d never mentioned a wife or family…” Rose’s eyes went wide. “Wait. If you’ve already got a wife... But-”

The Doctor dropped what he was doing and rushed over to her. “The only wife I’ve got right now is you. My first wife, and honestly she was never what you are to me, passed into the Matrix a long time ago.”

Rose’s brow furrowed.

“It’s where Time Lords go when we’ve gone past our last regeneration. We upload a part of ourselves into the Matrix so that our sum of knowledge can be accessed for the benefit of future generations. It was never a love match. Though I tried…” The Doctor shook off the memories. “We were determined to have the most compatible TNA and produced two children via the looms. That’s all she was interested in. She was a proper Time Lady and never really could understand why I couldn’t be. Even my children, who are still knocking about, don’t like to have much to do with me. I embarrass them.”

Rose hugged the Doctor. “You don’t embarrass me. I think you’re the most wonderful man I’ve ever met.”

The Doctor clutched her tighter. “Thank you for that.”

When they pulled apart, Rose was looking out the window and chewing her lip. 

“What is it, darling?”

“Oh…” She met the Doctor’s concerned eyes. “I just never considered that your children are adult Time Lords and out there somewhere.” 

“Does that bother you?”

“No. I...I was just wondering if I might meet them.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. They don’t particularly like me and I’d hate for them to take their dislike out on you.”

“Would it be any better for me to run into them somewhere with them knowing who I am, but me in the dark about it? Because let’s face it, all the Time Lords know who and what I am.”

“You’re right of course.” The Doctor sighed. “I’ll introduce you when next we’re back.”

Rose wrapped her arms around the Doctor’s neck and kissed him. 

They broke apart and the Doctor looked over his shoulder and at his collection of mechanical parts. “Let’s finish packing. I’ve an idea to help the Voord.”

Rose grinned fondly at her clever husband. “Of course you do.”

\--

After Marinus, the Doctor and Rose spent the next many decades fighting the Dalek’s and their allies across the galaxy. They battled the Nightmare Child, took on an Army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres, eliminated the Skaro Degradations, and in all of this did their best to prevent the Time Lords from breaking the laws of time in their efforts to win the war. They fought Technomancers and tried to prevent the return of the Great Vampires. They traveled through time to stop a plan by the Daleks to wipe out the children of Gallifrey. They became beloved to the average gallifreyans, but their sense of morality and justice caused them only trouble with the Time Lords. One by one, Rassilon called for the use of the weapons contained within the Omega Arsenal. More often than not, the Doctor and Rose stepped in to undo the damage to the fabric of time that those weapons caused or would have caused. The met many people in their travels, and equally lost many friends to the war. They gained names in both fear and respect across the cosmos, but they never stopped being the Doctor and Rose Tyler.


	6. Last Day of the Time War

“I’m sorry, sir, but there’s been absolutely no sign of him.”

The Lord President turned angry eyes on the Doctor and his bondmate. “How can the Master just have disappeared without a trace?”

“The Cruciform was in chaos when the Dalek Emperor took control, maybe-”

“We were winning, how did we suddenly lose?”

“I can’t say, but the Master has always been very good at using distraction to-”

“Enough!” Rassilon narrowed his eyes at the Doctor. “The two of you have worked well enough together in recent years.”

“What are you implying?”

“I want every stone unturned until he’s found. The loss of the Cruciform is on him. I want answers. Check the Matrix. Check the Drylands. Get that little human hunter you’re friends with on it.”

“Leela has more important things to do than-”

“Recall every TARDIS that’s left Gallifrey if you have to. And while you are busy with that, have the…” Rassilon looked with disdain at Rose. “...Abomination you call wife check the fortifications over Arcadia.”

Rose bristled at the insult, but when the Doctor took a step forward, she grabbed his arm and shook her head and hissed under her breath, “Let it go, Doctor. Let’s...just go.”

“She’s a goddess. You’re not fit to breathe the same air as her.”

The Lord President laughed. “The closest the Time Lords have to a god is me. I brought Gallifrey out of the Dark Times. I gave us time travel. I molded us into the greatest society in all the multiverse. Your little human pet is only allowed here as long as she holds some usefulness. It’s lucky for you she’s so very bad at dying.” Rassilon sneered and made a gesture dismissing them. 

Rose gritted her teeth and dragged the Doctor from the President’s private chamber.

He turned to her when they were alone in the corridor. “Rose, I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault the Time Lords elected giant prick as President. He doesn’t bother me.”

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

Rose smiled. “...Much. I’m here for you, not him. Now come on, we’ve got a job to do.”

“The Master is slippery and a master of disguise. If he doesn’t want to be found-”

“Not talkin’ about lookin’ for that nutter. We should check the sky trenches and ramparts. That’s what’s keeping the people safe and is actually important.”

The Doctor pulled his wife against him and kissed her. “I love you.”

Rose sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ll never tire of hearing it.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’ll never stop telling you.”

Rose pulled away with a sad smile and pressed a quick peck to the Doctor’s lips. “Love you too. Now let’s get going.”

\--

“Rose!”

The Doctor ran to where his bondmate had fallen in the desert. She’d been inspecting the fortifications high over Arcadia, as commanded, when the Dalek Emperor's Flagship attacked. After being hit by an energy ricochet, she’d plummeted thousands of feet back to the ground. 

When he reached her, she was unconscious and her clothing still smoldered. He fell to his knees in the sand beside her and used his jacket to extinguish any embers left burning. His hearts pounded with fear every time she was sent to do something dangerous, even knowing she couldn’t die. It didn’t matter; when something went wrong, it was torturous. They had been fighting side by side for 117 years and she’d had 37 almost deaths. Each time he worried that this time it would be different, that this time she wouldn’t come back to him.

“Wake up, sweetheart. Please.”

Her body took on a golden glow and her burns and injuries quickly healed themselves. Her eyes opened and her oxygen starved lungs gasped for air. 

“Doctor!”

He bent over her prone body and hugged her close. “My darling Rose, I love you, but you scare me every time you do that.”

“Better me than you.”

“Don’t say that, love. If I could save you one moment of pain, I would.”

“How are you going to give me forever if you’re the one dyin’ all the time? Let me do this for us.” Rose pressed her lips to his in a soft, easy kiss. She collapsed back into his arms with the need to breathe. “We have to go...the Sky Trenches aren’t going to hold much longer.”

He looked down at her and shook his head. “I’ve sent word to the General at High Command, but before we go back we need to find you some new clothes.” She glanced down. Hers were burned nearly from her body.

The Doctor carried her through the Drylands toward a small settlement in the hopes that someone remained or at the very least had left some supplies behind after fleeing. He slowed as he approached a wooden homestead that, like the rest of Gallifrey, had seen better days. He awkwardly shifted her in his arms so that he’d be able to knock. 

“Put me down, I can stand.”

They stood side by side, as the door was answered by an old woman. Her hand went to her mouth. “M-my Lord Doctor and Lady Moment.” 

The old woman stooped to bow, when Rose gently stopped her. “None of that now. It’s just the Doctor and Rose.”

“Might we come in?”

“Oh! Of course, please.” The woman stepped back and waved them entry. 

The woman walked over to her fireplace and prepared two bowls of porridge. She brought them to the table for her guests. “I’m sorry I can’t offer more.”

The Doctor and Rose sat on a worn bench. 

“You are most kind, madam.”

Rose raised the spoon to her lips. “It’s delicious. Best we’ve had in months.”

“I hate to ask for anything more, but if you have anything to spare...Rose could use something to wear.”

The woman jumped up from her seat and went over to a large trunk. “My daughter left these behind when she and her husband enlisted in the war.” She removed a selection of women’s clothing.

Rose walked over and smiled gratefully at the older woman. “Thank you.”

Rose changed from the tattered remains of her uniform, into a long skirt, leggings, jumper, and a sleeveless jacket. She removed her mother-in-law’s charm from where she kept it around her wrist, and used it to tie off a small plait. Biting her thumb, she returned to the Doctor. His eyes sparkled in admiration and he gave her a chaste kiss. “You look lovely.”

Rose rested her head on the Doctor’s shoulder and cuddled into his side. “Doctor, I think it’s time we went back to the Capitol for the-”

“No. That’s...that’s our last option. We...it’s...not yet.”

Rose reached for the Doctor’s hand and squeezed. “It’s getting close, Doctor, an’ I’m not saying it’s time to use it, but I think it’s safer for everyone involved if we have it with us. They’re...well I think Rassilon is getting suspicious, even more than usual, which is never good. And with the Dalek’s recent attack, he’ll be desperate. Not a great combination. Who knows how much longer we’ll even have access to the Vaults?”

The Doctor hugged her closer, and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

\--

The Gallifrey High Command was in the War Room plotting changes to their current strategy. The General studied a hologram of the Dalek ships hovering above a map of the planet. His lieutenant, Androgar, entered the room with a report. “The High Council is in an emergency session. They have plans of their own.”

“To hell with the High Council. Their plans have already failed. Gallifrey's still in the line of fire. The Time Lock will buy us only a little more time.”

“As you can see, sir, all Dalek fleets surrounding the planet are now converging on the Capitol. Thankfully the Sky Trenches are still holding.”

“For how much longer? We’ve had word from the Renegade and the Abomination-”

“Sir!”

“What? She’s no more a goddess than I am, no matter what the common people believe. She doesn’t deserve the title Lady.”

“She’s been instrumental in our defense, surely she deserves a measure of respect.”

The General shook his head and muttered to himself, “The Doctor’s bloody humans. First I had to deal with Leela for years, and then this one.” He turned back to Androgar. “Regardless, they sent word that the Trenches are weakened after that last flurry of attacks from the Dalek Flagship.”

“But almost nothing in the universe can get through a Sky Trench...nothing in history’s ever gotten through. And there are 400 that protect the sky above Arcadia!” There was a large blast from outside and the building shook. The General’s underlings looked around nervously. “This is their biggest attack yet. They're throwing everything at us. Does the Lady Moment really think-”

A Time Lady burst into the meeting. “Sir, there’s been a security breach to the Time Vaults.”

A map of the area being discussed was loaded onto the security screen. A red dot could be seen moving along the corridors. 

“The Omega Arsenal, where all the forbidden weapons are locked away.”

Androgar looked confused. “They're not forbidden any longer. We've used them all against the Daleks.”

The General clenched his jaw. “No. No we haven’t.”

\--

Arcadia was in flames. The dead and injured lined the streets. Battle droids and Dalek fighters flew through the air firing lasers and energy blasts. Buildings were crumbling and civilians were fleeing, no longer safe in the “safest place on Gallifrey.” Time Lords and Gallifreyan Soldiers were fighting side by side, doing what little they could to protect their people from the overwhelming waves of enemy combatants that had descended upon them seemingly in no time at all. Children were crying in the street, separated from fleeing parents, as chaos reigned.

Daleks swept through the streets shouting, “Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!”

Rose and the Doctor walked slowly through the rubble, sadness weighing heavily upon them. Rose spied a small girl about to walk into the path of a formation of Daleks. She ran behind a toppled wall and grabbed the girl, covering her mouth so that she wouldn’t give away their location. “It’s okay, sweetheart. But I need you to be quiet.” The girl’s frantic mother fell to her knees before Rose in gratitude. “My Lady Moment, thank you! Thank you!”

“It’s okay. Now hurry. Get as far away from here as you can.” The little girl gave Rose a kiss on her cheek and hugged her before taking up her mother’s hand.

The family hastened down an alley, as a missile exploded into the side of a nearby building. They disappeared under the weight of the falling stones. When Rose turned around aghast, the Doctor was there waiting. He opened his arms and Rose held onto him tightly, crying silently against his neck.

“Oh, Doctor! I can’t...I can’t do this anymore.”

The Doctor looked down into Rose’s tear stained face, and nodded. “It’s time.”

They walked hand in hand back toward the Citadel. They passed a soldier screaming into his wrist-com. “Message for the High Council. Priority Omega. Arcadia has fallen. I repeat, Arcadia has fallen!” When the man had completed his task, he closed his eyes and leaned back against a wall. He locked eyes with them and his fear and dejection were palpable. 

Rose and the Doctor nodded their respects, and while the weight of what they were about to do slowed their steps, they trudged onward, the calm in the storm raging around them. 

\--

The General was followed by several of his aides into the Time Vault. He walked directly to an empty podium and slammed his fist into his palm.

“That mad fool! The Eye of Discord is gone.”

“I don't understand. What’s the Eye of Discord? I've never heard of it.”

The General turned to Androgar. “The Galaxy Eater. The final work of the ancients of Gallifrey. The scientist, Roppen, made a weapon so powerful it is to only be used when all other hope is lost. It’s said he fitted the core with sentience and a conscience, so that the user must not only face their choice but argue on behalf of it. Because not only does it destroy all traces of an enemy, it destroys all traces that the enemy had ever existed including everyone who had ever even heard of them. At full power it’s capable of destroying every living thing in the universe.”

“Rassilon’s Rod! No wonder it’s never been used.”

“How do you use a weapon of ultimate mass destruction when it can stand in judgment on you? There is only one man who would even dare.”

\--

There was a soft knock on the door to the Doctor and Rose’s private chambers within the Capitol. Rose was packing up the meager supplies that they kept there, and so the Doctor walked over to answer it. 

At the sight of his best and oldest friends, he moved out of the way and bid them entrance. “Romana. Leela. Andred.” He greeted them each with clasped hands. 

“Hello, Doctor. Rose.”

“Hello.” Rose walked up to the group and frowned. “I thought Brax was supposed to join us?”

Romana ran a hand through her hair. “I’m afraid he’s been taken in for questioning regarding the Vault. Your mother’s gone to plead his case.”

Rose turned to the Doctor. “We’ve got to help them.”

Andred shook his head. “No, you’ve got to do this.” He took the sack his wife was holding and handed it to the Doctor. “We’ll do what we can for your brother, but in the end it won’t matter. The end is coming. All that is left to be determined is how much of the universe will be going with it.”

Leela clasped her hand in Andred’s. “I shall make sure Brax spends the last of his time where he belongs.” She darted a glance at Romana. “With his friends.”

The Doctor studied those surrounding him. Leela, his beloved former companion; Andred, the most loyal of friends; and Romana, a Time Lady he watched grow from an inexperienced though brilliant young woman to an accomplished and respected leader. “Leave. Leave Gallifrey. All of you. While there’s still time. Please. Let some good facet of Time Lord society survive.”

Romana took his hands between her own and smiled. Her eyes drifted to Rose before returning to her friend. “Oh, I think it will with or without us. Besides, we’re needed here. We each have our roles to play. We came to bid you goodbye and good luck.”

“No.” Rose teared up at the anguish in the Doctor’s voice.

Leela stepped forward to give the Doctor a hug and whispered in his ear. “You must leave now, while you still have the chance. Rassilon’s snares grow ever tighter.”

Andred clapped the Doctor on the back. “Doctor, it has been an honor knowing and serving with you.”

“And you, my friend.”

The Doctor turned to face Romana. She stood tall and proud. “Romana.”

She arched one delicate brow. “Yes, my Lord Doctor?”

He grinned. “Take care of that rapscallion brother of mine, would you? With whatever time you have left.”

Her eyes went wide and she blushed hotly. “I...what? I mean...I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

“No, of course not.” He kissed her on the cheek and grabbed Rose’s hand. “Well, my dear, sounds like we’ve got an important mission.”

She waved at the friends she had made during her life on Gallifrey. “Goodbye, all of you. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to know you.”

Leela smiled. “You are a true warrior, my Lady. And it was an honor to fight by your side.”

“That’s high praise indeed coming from you, Leela.”

Romana snorted. “I just can’t believe I lived to see the day that the Doctor voluntarily settled down.”

“Oi!”

“Who are you fooling, love? When we first met all you did was grouse about domestics.”

“Did I? Must have been because I didn’t think I could handle them without you by my side. Better with two, eh?”

Rose blushed. “Yeah. Better with two.” She laced their fingers together, and nodded her final goodbyes to their friends.

They closed the door behind them and then immediately opened it at another knock.

Rose gasped to see the Doctor’s son and daughter standing there. 

“Hello, my Lady Moment, may we come in?”

“Sure. Of course.” She stepped back and bid them entry. “And please, I’ve asked you to call me ‘Rose.’”

They bowed to her and nodded to their father. “Doctor.”

“What are you doing here? Not that I mind, but you’ve both made it clear that you didn’t wish to have an association with me...us.” He gestured between himself and Rose.

The Doctor’s daughter looked nervously at her brother. “We may have been hasty in our estimation of you.”

“This War has gone on far too long and done irreparable damage to the universe. The High Council and our Lord President Rassilon are no longer acting in the best interests of Gallifrey. We see that now.” 

Rose snorted. “The Citadel is literally crumbling around us, is that all it took?” The Doctor shot her a look.

His daughter blushed. “I’m sorry that we allowed our biases to prevent a deeper relationship to develop between us. It will be something that I regret for-”

“No. No regrets. You’ve come now and that is something I will treasure always.” The Doctor embraced his daughter who stood stiffly in his arms. He pulled back and kissed her crown. “Thank you.”

She nodded and gave him a small smile.

His son cleared his throat. “We came to warn you that the third prophecy has been found, and, er, well...we’ve also come to wish you luck.”

“Luck? What’s the prophecy?”

“‘The Last Son of Gallifrey will be the one to bring about the moment,” his eyes flicked to Rose, “that ends the Time War.’” 

Rose paled as her hand went to her mouth. “The Last of the…”

The Doctor darted a glance at her. “The Moment. It says that exactly? And Rassilon is aware of this?”

His daughter nodded. “He was just informed.”

“We’ve got to go now, Rose. Right now.”

She was already moving toward the TARDIS in the corner of the room.

“Thank you. I’m sorry I wasn’t a better father to you, but-”

His daughter raised her hand. “No. No regrets is what you said. Please. Go and save what’s left of the universe.”

“Be what you’ve always been - the Doctor.”

“Please, both of you, run. Take your families and get as far from here as you can.”

The siblings shared a look. “Rassilon will send people to look for you here first, we can buy you some time.”

“Please-”

“We’re not like you, Gallifrey is our home. Save something of it in our memory and don’t diminish our sacrifice.”

“Never.”

“Now go.”

The Doctor paused and took one last look at his children, perhaps they were more like him than he’d ever given them credit for, before turning and following Rose into the TARDIS.

\--

Lord President Rassilon, flanked by two members of the Chancellery Guard, strode briskly through the halls of the Citadel to his private Council chamber. He sat down at the head of the table with the other members of his Inner Council. 

“Is there any word of the Doctor?”

The Lord Chancellor paused before stating, “Disappeared, my Lord President.”

The Lady Partisan informed him, “But we know his intention. He took possession of the Eye of Discord, it’s likely he'll use it to destroy Daleks and Time Lords alike.”

The Lord Chancellor inclined his head and picked up a scroll. “The Visionary confirms it.”

The Visionary, an old, weathered woman covered in tattoos, sat opposite the Lord President and furiously scratched quill to paper. “Ending, burning, falling. All of it falling. The black and pitch and screaming fire, so burning.”

“All of her prophecies say the same. That this is the last day of the Time War. That Gallifrey falls. That we die, today.” 

“Ending. Ending. Ending. Ending!” The old woman screeched with fervor. 

The Lady Partisan took a deep breath. “Perhaps it's time. This is only the furthest edge of the Time War. But at its heart, millions die every second, lost in bloodlust and insanity. With time itself resurrecting them, to find new ways of dying over and over again. A travesty of life. Isn't it better to end it, at last?”

The Lord President sneered, “Thank you for your opinion.” He stood and aimed his gauntlet covered fist at her. The whole thing pulsed with blue light and an energy beam shot forth. She screamed before being reduced to ash and atoms. He yelled at the rest of the Inner Council, “I will not die! Do you hear me? A billion years of Time Lord history riding on our backs. I will not let this perish. I will not!”

The Lord Chancellor stood nervously. “There is, er, there is one part of the prophecy, my Lord.” He unfurled a scroll and brought it to Rassilon’s side. “Forgive me, I'm sorry. It's rather difficult to decipher, but it talks of survivors, two, beyond the Final Day. And also a mention of two children of Gallifrey.”

“Does it name them?”

“Not as such. But it does foresee them locked in a final confrontation, ‘The Enmity of Ages,’ which would suggest…”

Rassilon’s eyes lit with recognition. “The Doctor and the Master.”

The Chancellor pointed to a section of the parchment. “One word keeps being repeated, my Lord. One constant word. Earth.”

The Visionary cackled, “Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth.”

The Chancellor pulled up a holographic projection of the Earth. “Planet Earth. Indigenous higher species, the human race.” 

“Earth. Earth. Earth.”

Rassilon examined the primitive planet. “I don't know what the Doctor sees in it, but maybe that’s where the answer lies. Just think, our salvation. On Earth. There is a certain justice in that. The Doctor plots to take Gallifrey, but the Master will give us the Earth.”

The Visionary tapped her finger against the table in a rhythm of four.

Rassilon looked sharply at her. “A rhythm of four. The heartbeat of a Time Lord.”

“History says the Master heard such a rhythm when he looked into the Untempered Schism during his Awakening. A torment that stayed with him for the entirety of his life.” 

“A drumbeat. A warrior's march.”

“A symptom of insanity, my Lord.”

“A solution to this madness. Send the signal.”

The Chancellor opened a small rupture in time. “Four beats transmitted back through time, and implanted in the Master's mind as a child.”

“Perfect, then we have a link to where the Master is right now. His disappearance was ordained.”

“But we're still trapped inside the Time Lock, sir. The link is nothing more than a thought, an idea.”

“Then we need something to make the contact physical. Something simple.” 

The Visionary chanted, “So small and shining. Shining bright and cold. The tiny, tiny star, falling, falling, burning, burning, burning.”

Rassilon looked down to his staff and removed a diamond from the tip. He rolled it between his fingers and smiled. “Small enough to follow the link. And if this were on Earth, at the same time as the Master…” He took the diamond and threw it at the projection of the Earth.

\--

The Doctor and Rose walked for miles through the heat of the double suns. They crossed rust colored sand dunes and barren lake beds, heading for the Doctor’s childhood home. The only sound was the rise and fall of their footsteps. The Doctor had the sack containing the Eye of Discord slung over his shoulder. Every once in awhile Rose would offer to take his burden, but each time he’d solemnly shake his head. They were both lost in thought, when suddenly Rose asked, “Why did we park so far away? You didn’t want her to see?” 

“Want who to see?”

“The TARDIS. We’ve been walking for ages.”

“It’s given me time to think, plus I didn’t want to make it easy for the Time Lords to find us.”

Rose captured his hand in hers. “But they know my energy signature well enough. Shouldn’t be too hard to track us down...unless, you’re not planning on doing something stupid are you?”

He laughed bitterly. “Worse than destroying my own people?”

“You know what I mean...I’m not leaving you. Not when we’ve made it this far together.”

The Doctor sighed. “No. Right or wrong, I won’t send you away, don’t think I’d be strong enough to do this on my own.” His fingers played with the band of Rose’s wedding ring. “The Time Lords shouldn’t be able to find you. Your wedding band is a bio-damper. It hides you from them.”

“The wedding band you gave me on our 80th anniversary? The wedding band I’ve been wearing for nearly four decades?”

“Erm, yes...”

She lightly slapped his arm. “An’ you never said? Over a century in, and you still manage to surprise me.”

He gave her a small flirty grin and an overly dramatic kiss on the cheek.

They walked in silence for several more minutes, before Rose asked, “Thinkin’ ‘bout what?”

“Hmm?”

“You said you needed time to think. ‘Bout what?”

He let out a deep breath. “Ways to avoid what we’ve got to do.”

“Doctor…”

“I don’t think I can do this, Rose. I...I know Rassilon and the High Council are planning something unspeakable. There’re rumors he’s considering the Ultimate Sanction, but I can’t...when I think of all the innocent people...all the children...how can I?”

“If there was any other way...”

“I can’t believe that this is the only way. There has to be another. I just need more time to think. To find it.” He stopped suddenly, dropping the sack, and turned to Rose. “Rose, you have to tell me what you know.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?”

“From the future, what did I tell you about how the War ends?”

“Doctor! You know I can’t.”

The Doctor gripped Rose’s upper arms. “Rose, please.” Rose bit her lip hard to keep from breaking down and cupped the Doctor’s jaw. “I...just this once. I can make it-”

“Doctor, I can’t.” She held his gaze and begged him to understand. 

He closed his eyes tight. 

She whispered, “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you what you want to hear.”

“I’m so afraid I won’t do the right thing.” He laughed harshly. “I’m a coward, Rose. You married a coward.”

“You...you’re the bravest man I know. I love you. I’ve always loved you just like I _will_ always love you.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Stop it. Just remember, you’re not alone. Yeah? I’m right here. You said it yourself, ‘‘S better with two.’”

The Doctor pulled her close and feathered kisses across her brow, the bridge of her nose, before finally tilting her head and kissing her deeply. Rose ran her hands through his hair. He’d let it grow out a little longer than when they first met. He knew how much she adored playing with the curls. Their foreheads rested against each other as they caught their breath. From the corner of his eye, the Doctor noticed a star shoot across the sky. “What? No!”

“What was that?”

The Doctor laced their fingers together and bent down to retrieve the bag with the Eye of Discord. “They broke through the Time Lock.”

“Who?”

“The Time Lords. If they can get out, then so could anyone else. Come on. We’ve got to go. We’re out of time.”

\--

Rassilon stood proudly and addressed the full Time Lord Senate. “Now the High Council of Time Lords must vote. Whether we die here, today, either by the Daleks or one of our own. Or do we return to the waking world and complete the Ultimate Sanction? For this is the hour when either Gallifrey falls, or Gallifrey rises!”

The chanting of the Time Lords is almost deafening. “GALLIFREY RISES!”

Rassilon lifts his staff and leads the call. “Gallifrey rises! For Gallifrey.”

“FOR GALLIFREY!”

“For victory!”

“FOR VICTORY!”

“For the end of time itself!”

“FOR THE END OF TIME ITSELF!”


	7. The 50th Anniversary Special - Part 1

The Doctor set aside his copy of Advanced Quantum Mechanics, removed his glasses, and rubbed at his temples. He was having trouble concentrating, a feeling of unease had been plaguing him for hours. 

For a moment he was surprised and disoriented by the silence around him. It was eerie, like the calm before a storm. Dread sat like lead in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want to think of the last time he felt a storm sitting on the horizon, back when he’d lost… 

He jumped to his feet and paced in front of the time rotor. _I’m forgetting something important. What is it?_ He tugged on his hair in a move more reminiscent of his tenth self and stopped abruptly. Maybe he should jump ahead so he didn’t have to wait any longer. But it had been too long since he’d last seen Clara. He needed a distraction right now and an adventure with a dear friend sounded like just the thing to do it. 

He looked at his watch and was startled to realize school was almost out. _But...I...I never lose track of time._

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and leaned up against the door with his arms crossed. He watched as students at the Coal Hill Secondary School began pouring out of the doors, eager to meet up with friends or to get to jobs or just go home and watch telly. 

A small smile pulled at his lips as he remembered another young girl who had gone to this very school so, so long ago. He could remember her clutching a stack of books to her chest and dancing to the pop music of the era as she made her way back to TARDIS. She’d chatter to him about her day and the silly ideas that were prevalent among the humans of that time. She’d say, ‘Grandfather, can you believe that they treat the fourth dimension as if it’s a joke and they’ve never even heard of the fifth dimension! Why it’s just so primitive. Oh, but I do love it here!’

Thoughts of Susan were not as painful as they once were, now only causing a small twinge in the regions of his hearts. He wasn’t sure if that was better or not. 

He let out a sigh and felt a tap on his shoulder. “Hello, Doctor.”

Shaking aside his maudlin thoughts, he grinned brightly. “Clara!” The Doctor opened the door for her to proceed him inside. “Fancy a trip to ancient Mesopotamia followed by future Mars?”

“Will there be cocktails?”

“On the Moon.”

Clara pretended to think it over. “The Moon'll do.”

Both of them burst out laughing. Clara removed her coat and tossed it over the railing before turning back to the Doctor. 

He gave her a big hug. “How's the new job? Teach anything good?”

Laughly, she pulled away from their embrace. “No. Learn anything?”

He shook his head. “Not a thing.” 

The TARDIS jerked and alarms began to ring.

Clara grabbed hold of the console. “What's happening?”

“What? We're taking off, but...the engines aren't going.”

The Doctor ran down the ramp and pulled open the front door. He swayed and leaned back inside when he saw that the TARDIS was being flown over East London toward the city center. With a grimace, he reached out the door and pulled open the phone cubby. Shaking his head, he dialed his U.N.I.T. contact.

_“Hello? Kate Stewart’s phone.”_

“I want to talk to Kate, right now.”

_“Erm, hold on.”_

The Doctor stood tapping his foot to the sound of wind, running, and gasping breaths.

_“Excuse me, Ma’am. Ma’am!”_

There was a murmured conversation, before a familiar voice came through. _“Doctor, hello. We found the TARDIS near a junkyard. I’m having it brought in.”_

“No kidding.”

_“Where are you?”_

The Doctor held up the phone so that the sound of the helicopter was unmistakable.

_“Oh, my god! Oh, Doctor! I’m so sorry. We had no idea you were still in there.”_

“Next time, will it kill you to knock?”

The helicopter changed direction and the Doctor tumbled out the door dropping the phone. He managed to grab hold of the threshold just in time. 

“Doctor!” Clara ran over to help him. 

The Doctor dangled from the TARDIS at it flew over the cityscape toward the Tower of London. When the TARDIS was close enough to the ground, he hopped down and approached Kate Stewart.

“Doctor, as Chief Scientific Officer, may I extend the official apologies of U.N.I.T.”

“Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, a word to the wise, as I'm sure your father would have told you, I don't like being picked up.”

Clara walked up behind him. “That probably sounded better in his head. And besides, I know for a fact-”

The Doctor glared at Clara and she left that thought unfinished.

“I'm acting on instructions direct from the throne. Sealed orders from her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the First. Her credentials are inside.” The Doctor was about to break the seal on the missive, when Kate stopped him. “No.” She pointed to the National Gallery. “Inside.” 

The Doctor nodded and as he passed Kate’s assistant did a double take. The young woman was dressed in a lab coat, but it was her striped scarf that caught his attention. It was reminiscent of the one he’d fancied in his fourth body. “Are you the one who answered the phone earlier?”

The young woman flushed and looked as if she’d forgotten how to breathe. After the moment stretched to become almost uncomfortable, she nodded. 

“Nice to meet you...do you have a name?” 

Her eyes widened and she peeped, “Yes.”

“Good, I’ve always wanted to meet someone called ‘Yes.’”

“No.”

“No?”

She looked bemused. “Name’s Osgood, sir.”

“Oh...Brilliant! Nice scarf.”

Osgood took a wheezing breath. As Kate passed she reminded her, “Inhaler.”

\--

The Doctor and Clara walked into the National Gallery followed by Kate and Osgood. “So Elizabeth the First? You knew her?”

“Hmmm? May have met her a time or two.”

“A time or two? And she’s sending you love letters? Does-”

The Doctor’s ears turned red. “Oi, ’s not a love letter!”

They arrived at a covered painting, and Kate nodded for it to be revealed. “Elizabeth's credentials, Doctor.“

When the sheet fell away, Clara gasped. “But, how is it doing that? How is that possible?”

The Doctor’s face fell and he whispered, “No More.”

“That's the title.”

The Doctor sighed. “I know the title.”

“Also known as, ‘Gallifrey Falls.’”

The Doctor spun to confront Kate. “This painting doesn't belong here, not in this time or place.”

Clara moved closer to the painting. “Obviously.” She reached out as if to touch it. “An oil painting in 3D?”

“It’s Time Lord art. Bigger on the inside. A slice of real time, frozen...It's the fall of Arcadia, Gallifrey's second city.”

Clara spun toward the Doctor. “What? Seriously?”

The Doctor was lost to his memories for a moment. Clara approached him and touched his arm. “You okay?”

“He was there.”

“Who was?”

“Me. The other me. The one I don't talk about.”

Clara tilted her head. “I don't understand.”

“I've had many faces, many lives. You know that. But there's one life I've tried very hard to not think about. The Doctor who fought in the Time War. Only, now I can’t quite... I think...it all feels hazy.” The Doctor walked closer to the painting and sighed. “The last day of the Time War. The war to end all wars between my people and the Daleks. That was the day he did it. The day I did it. The day he killed them all and silenced the universe.” The Doctor turned angrily to Kate. “Why today? I’ve had this...this...feeling all day. And some of my memories are fuzzy. I remember or I’m almost remembering. Why bring me that message today?”

“It came with written instructions in which Elizabeth told us when to deliver it and where to find the painting and its significance. I believe it’s better explained in the letter.”

The Doctor had done his best to lock away the memories of the War, if only to be able to sleep on occasion. But now he couldn’t shake that persistent feeling of forgetting something important. Something about today, something about his past. _What is it? What does it have to do with Queen Elizabeth I and why this painting?_

Clara brought him back to himself with her question to Kate. “But the Time War's over. Why bring us here to look at a painting?”

“The painting only serves as Elizabeth's credentials, proof that the letter is from her. It's not why you're here.”

The Doctor turned the letter over a few times before breaking the seal and unfolding the message. _Dearest Doctor, I hope the painting known as “Gallifrey Falls” will serve as proof that it is your queen, Elizabeth, who writes to you now. You will recall that you pledged yourself to the safety of my kingdom. In this capacity, I have appointed you as curator of the Under Gallery, where deadly danger to England is locked away. Should any disturbance occur within its walls, it is my wish that you be summoned. Godspeed._

The Doctor folded the note and slipped it into his pocket. “What happened?”

“Easier to show you.”

Kate and Osgood led the Doctor and Clara to the entrance of the Under Gallery. Clara looked up to see a painting of Queen Elizabeth the First and a stoic Doctor in his Tenth form. She smirked and was about to comment on the ruffled collar when she noticed his face. The words died on her tongue at the tension on his face. He caught her looking and forced a big smile.

\--

The Doctor, resplendent in pinstripes, was laid out next to a young Queen Elizabeth on a pile of cushions with a feast spread around them. He popped a grape in his mouth and then fed one to her.

“Tell me, Doctor, why I'm wasting my time on you. I have wars to plan.”

“You have a picnic to eat.”

“You could help me.”

“I am helping.” The Doctor waggled his eyebrows before biting into a crisp apple.

“Not the picnic. You have a stomach for war.” She caressed his cheek. “These eyes have seen conflict, it's as clear as day.”

The Doctor sighed. “Oh, you’ve no idea.” He then jumped up in a swirl of excitement. “Up on your feet. Up, up.”

The Queen was taken aback. “How dare you? I’m the Queen of England.”

“I'm not English.” The Doctor fell to one knee. “Elizabeth, will you marry me?”

“Oh, my dear sweet love. Of course I will.”

“Ah, gotcha!”

“My love?”

“The real Elizabeth would never have accepted my marriage proposal. But then the real Elizabeth isn't a shape-shifting alien from outer space. And…” The Doctor holds up a cobbled together machine that made a chiming noise. “...ding.”

“What's that?”

The Doctor looked at her as if she’d dribbled on her bodice. “It's a machine that goes ‘ding.’ Made it myself. Lights up in the presence of shape-shifter DNA. Oooh. Also it can microwave frozen dinners from up to twenty feet and download comics from the future. I never know when to stop.”

“My love, I do not understand.”

“I'm not your love, and yes you do. You're a Zygon.”

“A Zygon?” 

“Oh, stop it. It's over. A Zygon, yes. Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers. Think the real Queen of England would just decide to share her throne with any old handsome bloke in a tight suit, just ‘cos he's got amazing hair and a nice horse?” The Doctor looked over his shoulder at the horse. “Oh.”

Standing where the horse had been just moments ago was a Zygon.

He held out his hand to the Queen. “It was the horse. I'm going to be King. Run!”

“What's happening?”

“We're being attacked by a shape-shifting alien from outer space, formerly disguised as my horse.”

The Doctor led her into an old ruin. 

“What does that mean?” 

“I’m gonna need a new horse. Quick, I'll hold it off. You run. Your people need you.”

“And I need you alive for our wedding day.” Elizabeth kissed him before running off.

The Doctor ruffled his hair. “Oh, good work, Doctor. Nice one. The Virgin Queen? So much for history. You’ve really stepped in it this time.”

The Doctor took off in another direction following the dinging of his Zygon finder. At the sound of a feminine scream, the Doctor turned and ran into a small clearing.

“Elizabeth!”

The Queen was laying on the ground and the Doctor helped her stand. Another Elizabeth walked into the clearing. 

“Step away from her, Doctor. That's not me. That's the creature.”

“How is that possible? She's me. Doctor, she's me!”

The Doctor pointed his machine at both women as they bickered. He slapped the side of it, before shaking it.

“It's not working.”

“One might surmise that the creature would learn quickly to protect itself from any simple means of detection.”

“Clearly you understand the creature better than I. But then, you have the advantage.”

Just when the Doctor was ready to throttle both women, history be damned, a swirling portal appeared above him.

“Back, both of you. Now! That's a time fissure. A tear in the fabric of reality.” 

\--

Kate walked through the hidden doorway behind the painting of Elizabeth and the Doctor into an antechamber. “Welcome to the Under Gallery. This is where the Royal Family keeps all art deemed too dangerous for public consumption.”

The Doctor paused and scooped up a handful of sand from the floor. “Stone dust.”

Kate tilted her head. “Is it important?”

“In twelve hundred years I've never stepped in anything that wasn't.” The Doctor spun to face Osgood. “ Oi! Are you sciency?”

“Oh, erm, well, erm, yes.”

“Good. I want this stone dust analyzed. And I want a report in triplicate, with lots of graphs and diagrams and complicated sums on my desk, tomorrow morning, ASAP, pronto…” He turned to Kate. “Do I have a desk?”

Kate shook her head. “No.”

The Doctor turned back to Osgood. “And I want a desk.”

“Get a team. Analyze the stone dust,” Kate instructed before she continued on toward the larger gallery. 

The Doctor and Clara followed behind, and the Doctor noticed a fez in a display case. He looked around and slid the fez out, popping it on his head.

Clara rolled her eyes. “Someday, you could just walk past a fez.”

“Never gonna happen.”

They entered a long, open room lined with Gallifreyan 3D art along the wall. Glass covered much of the floor.

Kate gestured to the debris. “This is why we called you in.”

“Interesting.”

Clara leaned down to inspect the floor. “The broken glass?”

“No, where it's broken from. Look at the shatter pattern. The glass on all these paintings has been broken from the inside.”

“As you can see, all the paintings are landscapes. No figures of any kind.”

Clara walked back over to the others. “So?”

“There used to be.” Kate handed them a tablet with photos of the original paintings on it.

Clara looked up in surprise. “Something's got out the paintings?”

“Lots of somethings. Dangerous somethings.”

“This whole place has been searched. There's nothing here that shouldn't be, and nothing's got out.”

A swirling of air began to coalesce above them. 

“Oh, no, not now.”

“Doctor, what is it?”

“Not now. I'm busy.”

“Is it to do with the paintings?”

“No, no. This is different. I remember this. Almost remember.” He removed the fez from his head and looked from it to the time fissure. “Oh! Of course. This is where I come in.” 

He threw the fez into the vortex before running and leaping into it himself. “Geronimo!”

“Doctor!” Clara moved to follow the Doctor.

Kate held her back. “Wait.”

\--

The Doctor in pinstripes stood between the two versions of Elizabeth and the time fissure, his arms wide in a protective gesture. “Anything could happen.”

All three watched as a fez fell from the swirling vortex.

He tugged his ear. “For instance...a fez.” The Doctor picked up the fez and placed it on his head, just as the other Doctor came crashing down.

“Oof.”

“Who is this man?” One of the Elizabeths asked the Doctor.

He watched the other man curiously. “That's just what I was wondering.”

The older Doctor inspected his younger self. “Oh, that is skinny. That is proper skinny. I've never seen it from the outside. It's like a special effect. Oi!” He knocked the fez from his counterpart’s head. “Ha! Matchstick man.”

The younger Doctor looked like he’d been forced to eat a pear, realization coloring his features. “Oh, you're not…”

Both men took out their respective sonic screwdrivers and compared them. The older Doctor’s was bigger with add-ons missing from the previous model. 

The younger Doctor asked with a lift of his eyebrow, “Compensating?” 

“For what?”

“Regeneration. It's a lottery.”

The older Doctor narrowed his eyes and huffed. “Oh, he's cool. Isn't he cool? I'm the Doctor and I'm all cool. Oops, I'm wearing sandshoes.”

The younger Doctor hissed at his older self, “What are you doing here? I'm busy.”

“Oh, busy? I see. Is that what we're calling it, eh? Eh?” The older Doctor leaned down, picked up the fez, and put it on his head. With a flourish, he spun around and bowed to the two Elizabeths. “Hello, ladies.”

“Don't start.”

“You should talk.”

“One of them is a Zygon.”

“Eww…” The older Doctor put up his hands. “I'm not judging you. Who am I kidding? Yes, I am.”

Another time fissure appeared. Both Doctors reached into their pockets and put on their respective glasses. 

The older Doctor glanced over his shoulder. “Your Majesties. Probably a good time to run.”

Both women asked simultaneously, “But what about the creature?”

The younger Doctor instructed, “Elizabeth, whichever one of you is the real one, turn and run in the opposite direction to the other one.” 

“Of course, my love.”

The other Elizabeth said, “Stay alive, my love. I am not done with you yet,” before kissing him and running off.

“Thanks. Lovely.”

“I understand. Live for me, my darling. We shall be together again.” Then the remaining Elizabeth kissed him and ran off in the other direction.

The Doctor wiped his mouth and nervously met his counterpart’s eyes. “Well, won't that be nice?”

“One of those was a Zygon.”

“Yeah.”

“Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers.”

“Yeah. And a surprisingly good kisser.”

“Venom sacs in the tongue.”

“Yeah, I'm getting the point, thank you.”

“Nice.”

From the time fissure, the Doctors heard Clara calling out, _“Doctor, is that you?”_

“Ah, hello, Clara. Can you hear me?”

_“Yeah, it's me. We can hear you. Where are you?”_

The older Doctor looked to his younger self. “Where are we?”

“England, 1562.”

_“Who are you talking to?”_

“Myself.”

_“Can you come back through?”_

“Physical passage may not be possible in both directions. It’s...Ah! Hang on.” The Doctor removed the fez from his head and threw it into the whirling eddy. “Fez incoming!” 

After a pause, Clara asked, _“Was something supposed to happen?”_

The younger Doctor scratched the back of his neck. “If not there, where did it go?”

\--

The Doctor and Rose entered an empty barn that had been a part of his childhood homestead. He put the sack down and gingerly removed a box with exposed gears and brass inlay. He turned it over in his hands a few times. “How...how do you work? Hmmm. Why is there never a big, red button?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “You and your big, red buttons.”

Both froze when they heard a rustling at the door. The Doctor made his way over and peeked outside. “Hello? Is somebody there?” Shaking his head, he closed the door. “It was nothing.”

A wolf’s howl could be heard in the distance. “Did you hear that? It sounded like a wolf.”

“Couldn’t have been. There are no wolves on Gallifrey.”

“But did you hear that?”

He whooshed out a breath and nodded. “Yeah.” 

Rose walked over to the innocuous looking box, and crouched down in front of it. She reached out to examine it.

“Don't touch it!” 

She pulled her hand back. “Why not?” 

“Because it's the most dangerous weapon in the universe, and we don’t know how it works.”

“You touched it an’ it was fine.” Rose reached for it once again and the moment she placed her hand on it, the box began to emit a noise, like gears shifting into place, and her eyes began to glow gold.

“It's activating. Watch out.” 

He knelt and tried to take the box from her hands, but when he touched it, it burned him.

“Ow!” He shook his hand.

“What's wrong?” Rose asked with a tilt of her head.

“The interface is hot.”

“Well, I do my best. Still after a century of marriage it’s nice to hear.”

The Doctor was only half paying attention while he continued to inspect the device. “There's definitely a power source inside…” He suddenly turned to Rose. “Wait, did you just say you're the interface?”

Her eyes faded back to amber. “Bad Wolf. When I touched it, it got inside my head. I can hear it talking to me. I...I know how to use it.”

The Doctor ran one hand over his face and he sat back on his heels.

Rose laid a hand on his thigh. “What’s wrong?”

“It...it just hit me that this is happening...not in the future or as a theoretical option, but right now.”

Rose took his hand and was hit with a telepathic onslaught of the Doctor’s emotions. His shields only failed like that when he was close to his breaking point. She did her best to send back waves of calm and love. 

He pulled back from her touch. “How can you love me? Knowing that I’d kill them all, Daleks and Time Lords alike?” He looked at his hands as if they were already covered in blood.

“I’ve seen what you’ve seen. The suffering. Every moment in time and space is burning. It must end, and there’s only one way.”

“But when you first met me, you were innocent to all that.”

“I’ve always seen you. Not what you were forced to do, but who you are...the brave man who had to make the impossible choice. The man who saved the universe at the biggest personal cost to himself.”

“I don’t know how I’m expected to survive this.”

Rose opened her mouth to answer, but then tilted her head as if listening. Tears pooled in her eyes. “I...oh, god. It’s your punishment.” Her eyes glowed and her voice took on an ethereal quality, “Nothing is without consequence, Time Lord. If you do this, if you kill them all, then that is the consequence. You live. You carry the burden of being the last of your kind, of carrying on, of remembering…” Rose dropped the box and sagged as she returned to herself. She crawled over to where the Doctor sat staring at the ground and embraced him. “I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m a monster for even considering this.” 

Rose picked up the box and closed her eyes. A time fissure rippled open above them.

“Rose! What are you doing?”

“I’m opening a window on your future, to the man today will make of you. The choice is still yours.”

A fez dropped out of the portal and rolled to a stop at Rose’s feet.

“Er, okay, I wasn’t expecting that.”

The Doctor looked at the swirling gateway. “Ready?” 

She slipped the box into her pocket and nodded. 

\--

Rassilon walked past two Time Lords, both of whom had their hands covering their faces, to address the rest of the Council. “The vote is taken. Only two went against, and as a monument to their shame, the dissenters will stand like the Weeping Angels of old. The vanguard stands prepared, as the children of Gallifrey return to the universe. To Earth.” 

Rassilon raised his staff and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

\--

As the Doctor and Rose jump through the time fissure into the Doctor’s future, Gallifrey was pulled across the universe.

\--

The pinstriped Doctor gestured between himself and his older self. “Okay, you used to be me, you've done all this before. What happens next?”

“I don't remember.”

“How can you forget this?”

“Hey, hang on. It's not my fault. You're obviously not paying enough attention...Oh! Try reversing the polarity!”

Both Doctors pulled out their sonics and pointed them at the time fissure. 

The older Doctor scratched his head. “It's not working.” 

“We're both reversing the polarity.”

“Yes, I know that.”

“There's two of us. I'm reversing it, you're reversing it back again. We're confusing the polarity.”

As they argued, their predecessor walked out from the the whirling portal. “Anyone lose a fez?” 

“You! How can you be here? More to the point, why are you here?”

“Hello. I'm looking for the Doctor.” 

The pinstriped Doctor mumbled, “Well, you've certainly come to the right place.” 

“Good. Who are you boys? Oh, of course. Are you both companions?” The wartime Doctor smiled fondly. “Rose and her pretty boys...”

“Rose?” The pinstriped Doctor’s jaw dropped.

“...They seem to get younger all the time.”

“Oi!”

The oldest Doctor turned to the man at his side. “Well, he’s not wrong.” He gestured between the three of them.

“You too?” The pinstriped wearing Doctor gaped at the bowtie wearing Doctor. “How can you even joke about that?”

“Right.” The youngest Doctor interrupted the squabble before they could really get into it. “Could you point me in the general direction of the Doctor?” 

Both of the older Doctors pulled out their sonic screwdrivers. The youngest Doctor looked from one to the other. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Really.”

“You’re me? Both of you?”

“Yep.”

“Even that one?” The Doctor pointed to the one in the bowtie.

The Doctor in question replied with an affronted squeak, “Yes!” 

“You're my future selves?”

Both other men yelled, “Yes!”

The younger Doctor scanned the glade. “Then where’s Rose?” 

“That’s the second time…How do you know Rose?”

The bowtie wearing Doctor narrowed his eyes. “You shouldn’t know Rose.”

The Doctor shifted to the side, and Rose hesitantly walked out of the time fissure. She walked up to the Doctor she’d spent the last century with and gripped his hand. She waved at the others. “Hello.”

The Doctor in pinstripes dropped his sonic and stared wide-eyed at her. The wartime Doctor glanced worriedly back and forth between his wife and his future self. “Looks like you've seen a ghost.”

Rose bit her lip until she noticed the oldest Doctor, the one she’d yet to meet, smiling warmly at her. His eyes dropped to her ring finger and she could see his curiosity was piqued, but his demeanor was that of easy affection. That more than anything had her releasing the pent up breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. 

As nonchalantly as possible, she slipped her wedding band from her finger and tucked it into a pocket. The oldest Doctor smirked, causing her to blush, but the pinstriped Doctor hadn’t seemed to notice. He was staring at her as if he wasn’t quite sure she was real, eyes wide, freckles stark on his pale face, and swaying like a stiff wind could knock him over. 

She gave him a small smile and he swallowed hard. She couldn’t bear to see him hurting, and her eyes slid over to the oldest of the Doctors. 

_Good Lord, there’s three of ‘em!_ As if he knew what she was thinking, the bowtie wearing Doctor grinned widely, eyes crinkling, which sent a swoop through her belly. She squeezed her Doctor’s hand and braced herself in preparation of properly introducing herself to this unknown Doctor, when several horsemen rode into the clearing. 

Bentham, a nobleman and the apparent leader of the troop of men, dismounted from his horse. “Encircle them,” he ordered his men. “Which of you is the Doctor? The Queen of England is bewitched. I would have the Doctor's head.”

The youngest Doctor blew out a breath. “Well, this has all the makings of your lucky day.”

Bentham noticed the time fissure and moved closer to the quartet. “What is that?”

The pinstriped wearing Doctor picked his sonic off the ground and moved with the other two to step between the nobleman and Rose. The oldest Doctor raised his sonic as well. 

“What are you pointing them for? They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do, assemble a cabinet at them?”

Bentham raised his voice and asked again, “That thing, what witchcraft is it?”

The oldest Doctor tucked his sonic into his breast pocket and stepped forward. “Ah, yes. Now that you mention it, that is witchcraft. Yes, yes, yes. Witchy witchcraft. Hello? Hello in there. Excuse me. Hello! Am I talking to the wicked witch of the well?”

A feminine voice could be heard coming from the swirling vortex. _“He means you.”_

_“Why am I the witch?”_

“Clara? Hello? Clara, hi, hello. Hello. Would you mind telling these prattling mortals to get themselves begone?”

They could almost hear her rolling her eyes. _“What he said.”_

“Yes, tiny bit more color.” 

_“Right. Prattling mortals, off you pop, or I'll turn you all into frogs.”_

“Oooh, frogs. Nice. You heard her.”

_“Doctor, what's going on?”_

“It's a timey-wimey thing.”

The youngest Doctor looked at Rose. “Timey what? Timey-wimey?”

The pinstriped Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. “I've no idea where he picks that stuff up.”

Rose, knew that tell, and pressed her lips together to stop the laugh that wanted to bubble forth. She fluttered her lashes at him and asked, “Oh, really?”

Before he could reply, and with a dramatic swirl of skirts, Queen Elizabeth entered the clearing sending all the soldiers to their knees. She looked at the standing foursome. “You don't seem to be kneeling. How tremendously brave of you.”

Rose’s pinstriped Doctor asked, “Which one are you? What happened to the other one?”

“Indisposed. Long live the Queen.”

The soldiers chanted, “Long live the Queen!”

“Arrest these four. Take them to the Tower.”

“That is not the Queen of England, that's an alien duplicate.”

The oldest Doctor bumped Rose’s shoulder. “And you can take it from him, ‘cos he's really checked.” 

“Oh, shut up.”

“Venom sacs in the tongue.”

The pinstriped Doctor saw the hurt on Rose’s face. “Seriously, stop it. Rose, I...”

Rose shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “Don’t.”

The oldest Doctor turned to Rose. “I’m sorry, I forgot how much-”

“Stop it! Both of you. I don’t want to talk about it.” She made her way back to the youngest Doctor and rested her head on his shoulder. He glanced in surprise at the other two trying to figure out what had just happened.

The oldest Doctor ran his hands through his hair and walked over to the Queen. “Hang on. The Tower? Did you say the Tower?” She nodded. “Ah, yes, brilliant. Love the Tower. Breakfast at eight, please. Will there be Wi-Fi?”

The youngest Doctor glared. “Are you capable of speaking without flapping your hands about?”

“Yes. No. I demand to be incarcerated in the Tower immediately with my co-conspirators Sandshoes, Velvet, and....” His voice softened, “Rose.”

“Velvet? I haven’t worn velvet in ages!”

“They're not sandshoes.”

The youngest Doctor looked down at the other man’s feet. “Yes, they are.”

“Silence! The Tower is not to be taken lightly. Very few emerge again.”

\--

The Master stood in a room full of men identical to himself and hit his head. “We listen. All of us, across the world, just listen.” All of them stopped what they were doing and listened. “Concentrate. Find the signal. There! The sound is tangible. Someone could only have designed this. But who?”

A Master copy turns to the original. “The sound. It's coming from above.”

“It's coming from the sky!” The Master looks out a nearby window and sees a star falling to Earth. “There! Find it. Get out there and find it!”

“Yes, sir.”

\--

Kate smiled at Clara. “Dear God, that man's clever. Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“My office, otherwise known as the Tower of London.”

\--

In a field, two Land Rovers pulled up to a smoldering crater. A uniformed Master copy slid to the bottom and found the diamond previously taken from Rassilon’s staff. The soldier pressed a button on him com-link and said, “It's a diamond, sir. Oh, the most impossible diamond. You won't believe this. It’s a White Point Star.” 

\--

The pinstriped Doctor was sitting on a silent space ship with Donna’s grandfather, Wilf, and two green spiked Vinvocci. There was a heaviness in the air around the four of them. Suddenly a radio crackled to life and the Master’s voice blared out, “A star fell from the sky. Don't you want to know where from? Because now it makes sense, Doctor. The whole of my life. My destiny. The star was a diamond. And the diamond is a White Point Star. And I have worked all night to sanctify that gift. Now the star is mine. I can increase the signal and use it as a lifeline. Do you get it now? Do you see? Keep watching, Doctor. This should be spectacular. Over and out.”

An eerie quiet fell over the room, while the Doctor sat thinking. Wilf was the first to break the silence. “What's he on about? What's he doing? Doctor, what does that mean?”

The Doctor jumped up from his seat and began examining the controls of the ship. “A White Point Star is only found on one planet. Gallifrey. Which means it's the Time Lords. The Time Lords are returning.”

“Well, I mean, that's good, isn't it? I mean, that's your people...But I thought...you said your people were dead. Past tense.”

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and began mending frayed wires. “Inside the Time War. And the whole War was Time Locked. Like, sealed inside a bubble. It's not a bubble but just think of a bubble. Nothing can get in or get out of the Time Lock. Don't you see? Nothing can get in or get out, except something that was already there.” 

Wilf looked confused, but then his eyes lit with a thought. “The signal. From since he was a kid.” 

The Doctor nodded and moved onto another part of the control panel. “If they can follow the signal, they can escape before they die. And who knows what will try to follow.”

“But you’ll still have your people back. I've heard you talk about them like they're wonderful.”

“That's how I choose to remember them, the Time Lords of old. But then they went to war. An endless war, and it changed them right to the core. You've seen my enemies, Wilf. The Time Lords are more dangerous than any of them.” The Doctor flipped a large switch and powered up the ship. “England. Naismith Mansion. Allons-y.”

\--

The Master stood in a large atrium, arms outstretched. “We have contact. They are coming. Closer! And closer! And closer!”

A bright white light filled the space, and when it dimmed the Lord President, his Chancellery Guards, and the two dissenters, faces covered, stood before the Master.

The sound of shattering of glass was the only precursor to the Doctor falling through the glass ceiling into the space between the Master and the other Time Lords. Cut up and bleeding, he held an old revolver in his hand.

Rassilon smirking took two steps toward the struggling Doctor. “My Lord Doctor. My Lord Master. We are gathered for the end.”

The Doctor pushed to his knees. “Listen to me. You can't…”

“It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child.”

The Doctor shook his head. “Oh, he's not saving you. Don't you realise what he's doing?”

The Master glared at the Doctor. “Hey, no, hey! That's mine. Hush. Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them, because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord. Oh, yes, Mister President, sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me.”

Rassilon raised the fist wearing his metal gauntlet. It pulsed blue with energy. All the Master copies around the room began to shake their heads.

“No, no, don't. No, no, stop it! No, no, no, don't!”

When all the humans had regained their original forms, Rassilon addressed them. “On your knees, mankind.”

All of the people look confused and scared, but soon dropped to their knees.

“No, that's fine, that's good, because you said, ‘salvation.’ I still saved you. Don't forget that.”

Rassilon raised his staff. “The approach begins.”

“Approach of what?”

The Doctor looked in disgust at the Master. “Something is returning. Don't you ever listen? That was the prophecy. Not some _one_ , some _thing_.” 

“What is it?”

“They're not just bringing back the species. It's Gallifrey. Right here, right now.”

A large, orange planet pulsed into existence alongside the Earth, blocking out the sun and darkening the streets. 

The Master turned to Rassilon. “But, I did this. I get the credit. I'm on your side.”


	8. The 50th Anniversary Special - Part 2

An Elizabethan jailer pushed the three Doctors and Rose into a cell. “Come on, you lot, get in there.” When all four were in, he slammed the door closed. 

The bowtied Doctor bent down and picked a small metal rod off the floor. He immediately set about scratching into a stone support. “Three of us in one cell? That's going to cause some nasty anomalies if we don't get out soon.”

The pinstriped Doctor’s gazed bounced from his older self to Rose and back again. He asked the other man somewhat curtly, “What are you doing?”

“Getting us out.”

“That’s gonna help?”

“I’m sending a message to a friend. She’ll know what to do with it.”

The wartime Doctor wandered over to the door and began examining it with his sonic.

Rose kicked at the ground while nervously stealing looks at her second Doctor. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking at her with desperate need while trying to appear not to.

The oldest Doctor momentarily stopped his scratching. “Oh, would you both just talk to each other.” He grumbled under his breath as he went back to his task. “Never thought I’d ever say it, but bloody Harkness was right.”

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other, surprised at being called out by one of his selves, before Rose broke out in giggles. The Doctor, not realizing how starved he’d been for the sound of her laughter, walked up and gave her an exuberant hug. He lifted her from her feet and spun her around, making her laugh harder. When he settled her back on the ground, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. The Doctor had his face buried in her shoulder, breathing in her scent. Rose ran her hands in circles over his back. 

“How...how are you here? You’re...I tried everything...I couldn’t...it’s impossible.”

“Back in Pete’s World, the stars were going out. An’ we built this, er, this travel machine. Called it, um, a dimension cannon...so that I, well, so I could…”

The Doctor pulled back enough so that he could see her face while gently asking, “What?”

“So I could come back.” The Doctor grinned brilliantly. “Shut up. Anyway, it didn’t work at first, but then suddenly the Void was dying and the walls between dimensions started to collapse. An’ that’s when it began to work. It was completely random, where I’d land. So many different dimensions. I stumbled across parallel versions of just about everyone I know. But never myself or you. Well, except in this one pocket universe, were you...”

“Pocket universe?”

She took a deep breath and plastered on a smile. “Nevermind. ‘S not important right now. Anyway, it was Mickey who thought of using my TARDIS key to lock us on to the right dimension. Had a couple of near misses after that, showin’ up jus’ after you’d left an’ the like, before finally runnin’ into you.” Rose pointed at the youngest of the Doctors. “That you.”

“Why didn’t you have him bring you to me?” His voice held a little bit of hurt, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Rose ran her thumb up and down his sideburns. “He needed me.”

His hand covered hers as he leaned into her palm, his eyes fluttering shut. “I need you.”

“Doctor, you know what he’s goin’ through, I couldn’t leave him. But I’m coming back to you...before you know it. I still need help with the stars goin’ out, an’ then I have a promise to keep. Forever, yeah?”

For one shining moment, the Doctor put aside his fears of their disparate lifespans, and allowed the idea of forever with Rose Tyler to wash over him. He closed his eyes and captured her lips in a desperate kiss. 

They parted briefly. “Rose, I-” She crushed her mouth against his.

When she next gasped for breath, she assured him, “I know. Me too.” She dragged him back into their kiss.

Rose vaguely heard the other two Doctors arguing about the door and molecules and sub-atomic harmonic resonance, but she let their voices wash over her as she reacquainted herself with the Doctor in her arms.

Rose was brought back to reality by the need to breathe. The Doctor’s grip around her waist had gotten tighter and tighter the longer she stood in his arms. “Too tight.”

“Oh! Sorry!” He loosened his hold but kept his arms encircling her.

The pinging of the metal rod hitting the floor and the oldest Doctor arguing with his youngest self drew their attention. 

“Oi! Chinny?”

The Doctor holding Rose nodded. “Yeah, you do have a bit of a chin.”

Before the eldest Doctor could let loose against his wartime self, Clara barged through the door nearly stumbling and clutching at the vortex manipulator around her wrist. 

The eldest Doctor asked, “How’d you get in here?”

“It wasn't locked.”

He wrung his hands. “Right.”

Clara gestured at the other men in the room. “So they’re both you, then, yeah?”

“Yes.”

She grinned wickedly at the Doctor who still had his arms wrapped around Rose’s waist. “Nice suit.”

He beamed at her and adjusted his tie. “Thanks.” Rose rolled her eyes, but slipped her hand into his with a smile.

“And Rose.” Clara waved that the other woman. “You were totally right about the way it makes his bum look.”

The Doctor preened at the compliment and waggled his eyebrows at Rose.

Rose looked between the Doctor and the young woman. “You...I’m sorry do we know each other?”

Clara shot a panicked look at her Doctor, whose own eyes had gone wide. He shook his head as discreetly as possible. Clara plastered a big smile on her face. “Oh, uh, no. Just, er, you know. He’s the Doctor. You’re...blonde. Must be Rose. And I am gonna stop talking now.”

“Right and you know my thoughts on his arse in these trousers how?”

Clara swallowed hard. “Erm, lucky guess?”

Rose narrowed her eyes at the oldest Doctor. He tapped the end of his nose and winked at her. Rose nodded and let it drop.

Clara spun around and looked back at her Doctor. “Hang on. Three of you and one Rose in the cell, and none of you thought to try the door?”

Rose blushed.

The wartime Doctor tapped his chin. “It should have been locked.”

The oldest Doctor agreed. “Yes. Exactly. Why wasn't it locked?”

Queen Elizabeth, at that moment, pushed the door open and entered the holding cell. “Because I was fascinated to see what you would do upon escaping. I understand you're rather fond of this world. It's time I think you saw what's going to happen to it.”

\--

The sight of an alien planet headed straight for Earth caused massive panic both on the streets and in the Naismith Mansion. 

A technician was banging on the door of a locked, glass booth. “Help me, please. Somebody, please.”

Wilf slipped unobserved through the doors amid the chaos and into the room. He made his way over to the glass booth. “All right! I've got you, mate. I've got you.” Wilf went into the the open half of the booth and closed his door which unlocked the technician’s side. “Come on. Go on.” The man ran without a backward glance, leaving Wilfred trapped on his own.

\--

Queen Elizabeth escorted the Doctors, Rose, and Clara to the Zygon lair hidden in the dungeons. “The Zygons lost their own world. It burnt in the first days of the Time War…” The wartime Doctor’s steps faltered. Rose slipped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. “...A new home is required.”

The Doctor quietly murmured to Rose, “Will the effects of this war never be behind us?”

She lifted her head and kissed him softly. “They survived, that’s something.”

Clara surveyed the activity of the Zygons from entrance at the top of the chamber. “So they want this one?”

“Not yet. It's far too primitive. Zygons are used to a certain level of comfort.” 

Clara leaned over to her Doctor and whispered, “Kate turned into one of these creatures right before I came here and found you.”

The Doctor put his fingers to his lips, and glanced around the room, eyes catching sight of a glass cube.

A Zygon walked up to the Queen and asked, “Commander, why are these creatures here?”

“Because I say they should be. It is time you too were translated. Observe this. I believe you will find it fascinating.”

The Zygon marched over to the the glass cube and placed his hand on top of it. He vanished in a glow of blue light, just as a figure appeared one of the 3D landscapes Clara and her Doctor had seen in the Under Gallery earlier. 

Clara and Rose went up to the painting to inspect it more closely. 

Rose turned to her husband. “That's him! That Zygon’s in the picture now.”

The wartime Doctor walked up beside the two women and reached for Rose’s hand. “It's not a picture, it's a stasis cube. Time Lord art. Frozen instants in time, bigger on the inside, but could be deployed as…”

The pinstriped Doctor walked up on the other side of Rose. “...Suspended animation. Oh, that's very good. The Zygons all pop inside the pictures, wait a few centuries till the planet's a bit more interesting, and then out they come.”

The oldest Doctor joined the group and stood beside Clara. “You see, Clara, they're stored in the paintings in the Under Gallery, like cup-a-soups. Except you add time, if you can picture that. Nobody could picture that. Forget I said cup-a-soups.”

Rose smiled fondly at her future Doctor. 

Clara turned back to him. “And now the world is worth conquering. So the Zygons are invading the future from the past.”

He smiled proudly at her deductions. “Exactly.”

The Doctor in pinstripes cocked his head and spun to face the Queen. “And do you know why I know that you're a fake? Because you're such a bad copy. It's not just the smell, or the unconvincing hair, or the atrocious teeth, or the eyes just a bit too close together, or the breath that could stun a horse. It's because Elizabeth, the real Elizabeth, would never be stupid enough to reveal her own plan. Honestly, why would you do that?”

“Because it's not my plan. And I am the real Elizabeth.”

“Okay. So...backtracking a moment just to lend context to my earlier remarks…”

“My twin is dead in the forest. I am accustomed to taking precautions.” The Queen raised the hem of her skirt and removed a dagger from its sheath tucked into her garter. The Doctor took a discreet step back from the blade. “These Zygon creatures never even considered that it was me who survived rather than their own commander. The arrogance that typifies their kind.”

Rose asked, “Zygons?”

“Men.” 

The two women shared a knowing grin.

Clara leaned forward in interest. “And you actually killed one of them?”

“I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but at the time, so did the Zygon. The future of my kingdom is imperilled. Doctor, can I rely on your service?” She turned to the pinstriped Doctor.

“Well, I'm going to need my TARDIS.”

“It has been procured already.”

“Ah. Well...”

Rose stepped forward. “If there is anything I know about the Doctor, it’s that he will always defend the Earth against its enemies.”

“She’s right, this is like a second home to me and I pledge to keep your kingdom safe, my Queen.”

“Excellent. Now, my love, you have another promise to keep.”

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow the pinstriped Doctor. “‘My love?’”

The Doctor with great hair and a big gob stood gaping like a fish, unable to find the words for an explanation. 

Rose narrowed her eyes. “Wha’ kind of promise did ya make?”

“Er…”

The bowtied Doctor swung his arm across Rose’s shoulder. “Your Majesty, about that. He’s actually already married.”

The pinstriped Doctor’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

His older self glared meaningfully. 

“Oh! Right, yeah, sorry, so sorry about that. Misunderstanding...thought I was proposing to a Zygon.”

The Queen turned to him in fury. “Doctor!”

The Doctor raised his hands. “Don’t worry, I won’t let it affect my solemn vow to your kingdom. I’m still your man for that.” He ran toward his TARDIS and yelled over his shoulder, “In fact, I’ll just go take care that now shall I? No time like the present...or the future as it is may be.”

He opened the door and hurried inside. The others smiled nervously at the Queen as they backed toward the TARDIS. 

“Right, we should really be helping with that. Ta.”

They followed behind the other Doctor and entered the TARDIS. The oldest Doctor popped his head out surprising the queen. “You might want to write him a letter just to remind him of his promise. Erm, just a thought. He seems a bit scatty.”

When he re-entered the TARDIS, the wartime Doctor was contemplating the console room. “You've let this place go a bit.”

“Ah, it's his grunge phase. He grows out of it.”

“Oi!”

Rose leaned against a coral strut and cooed, “Don't you listen to them, darling. You’re gorgeous.” All three Doctors looked at her with the same mix of pride and amusement.

An alarm blared and the pinstriped Doctor at the controls got a shock. “Ow!” The console room flared and the grating was replaced by metal plating and stone. The walls shone with light coming from deep set roundels. “The desktop is glitching.”

The youngest Doctor took in the changing console room. “Three of us from different time zones. It's trying to compensate.”

“Hey, look. The round things.”

“I love the round things.”

“What are the round things?”

The pinstriped Doctor shook his head. “No idea.” 

“Oh dear, the friction contrafibulator.” The bowtied Doctor reached over and flipped a switch which completely replaced the mixed era decor with his own console room. “Ha! There, stabilised.”

The pinstriped Doctor regarded it in awe. “Oh, you've redecorated.” He face dropped into a pout. “I don't like it.”

“Oh. Oh yeah? Oh, you never do. Listen, we're going to the National Gallery. The Zygons are underneath it.”

Clara snapped her fingers. “No, U.N.I.T. HQ. They followed us there to the Black Archive.” The three men all turned to her with identical glowers. “Okay, so you've heard of that, then?”

\--

Inside the Black Archive, Kate Stewart and her team arrived to find a set of Zygons cloned in their images. Kate walked over to a conference table and sat down. The Zygon clone of Kate took the seat across from her. “You'll realise there are protocols protecting this place. Osgood?”

“In the event of any alien incursion, the contents of this room are deemed so dangerous, it will self-destruct in-”

“Five minutes.” Kate lifted a remote and set the timer. Each second counted down with a beep. “There's a nuclear warhead twenty feet beneath us. Are you sitting comfortably?”

“You would destroy London?”

“To save the world, yes, I would.”

“You're bluffing.”

“You really think so? Somewhere in your memory is a man called Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. I am his daughter.”

“One word from you would cancel the countdown.”

“Quite so.”

“It's keyed to your voiceprint.”

Kate nodded. “And mine alone.”

The Zygon Kate smiled and yelled over her shoulder. “Cancel the detonation!”

The timer stopped at 2:50. 

“Countermanded!”

“Cancel the detonation!”

“Countermanded!”

“We only have to agree to live.”

“Sadly, we can only agree to die.”

\--

The pinstriped Doctor was fighting against the controls. “I’m trying to bring the TARDIS in. Why can't we land?”

“The Tower of London is totally TARDIS-proofed.” The two older Doctors gaped at Clara. She shrugged. “That’s what the Zygon Kate told me earlier.”

Rose questioned, “How can they do that?” 

“Alien technology plus human stupidity. Trust me, it's unbeatable.”

Both women exclaimed, “Oi!”

The wartime Doctor blurted, “We don't need to land.”

“Yeah, we do. A tiny bit. Try and keep up.”

“No, we don't. We don't. There’s another way.” He glanced at Rose.

With a nod, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the Eye of Discord. She held it in her hands and focused inward.

The pinstriped Doctor’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. “Rose, is that…? What are you doing with...?”

The wartime Doctor moved to stop his older self from pulling the device from Rose’s hands. “Leave her. She knows what she’s doing.”

Rose’s eyes flashed gold and a swirling pathway opened from the TARDIS to the Black Archive. She gave the others a manic smile before jumping through the newest time fissure.

\--

The group of five appeared in the Black Archive to a very surprised set of U.N.I.T. employees in duplicate.

The youngest Doctor greeted, “Hello.”

“I'm the Doctor,” added the pinstriped Doctor.

“Sorry to just pop in.”

Clara shook her head at the trio. “Also the showing off.” 

The oldest Doctor shook his outward calm off and stormed over to one of the Kates. “Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, what in the name of sanity are you doing? Please tell me you’re not about to do something unbelievably stupid.”

The other Kate replied, “The countdown can only be halted at my personal command. There's nothing you can do. I’m sorry.”

The Doctor in pinstripes attempted to get her to see reason. “Not as sorry as you will be. This is not a decision you will ever be able to live with.”

The bowtied Doctor promised, “I’ll make you both agree to halt it.”

She scoffed. “Not even the three of you.” 

The Doctor freshly from the war shook his head. “You're about to murder millions of people.” 

Rose walked over to the youngest version of her husband and took his hand.

“To save billions. How many times have you made that calculation?” She looked each of the incarnations in the eye.

The oldest Doctor glanced at Rose and his other self. “Once. Turned me into the man I am now.”

The pinstriped Doctor sighed. “You tell yourself it's justified, but it's a lie so you can sleep at night. Because what I did that day was...it will never feel right.”

The youngest Doctor closed his eyes against the love and understanding in Rose’s.

The oldest Doctor turned back to Kate. “And, because I got it wrong, I'm going to make you get it right.”

“How?”

The middle Doctor glanced at the countdown clock. “Any second now, you're going to stop that countdown. Both of you, together.”

“Then you're going to negotiate the most perfect treaty of all time.”

“Safeguards all round, completely fair on both sides.”

“And the key to perfect negotiation?” The Doctor queried his previous self.

“Not knowing what side you're on.”

“So, for the next few hours, until we decide to let you out…”

“...No one in this room will be able to remember if they're human…”

“...Or Zygon.”

The oldest Doctor jumped on the conference table and pointed his sonic upward. He nodded to the two other Doctors, who both raised their sonics. They activated a memory filter in the ceiling causing both the humans and Zygon clones to blink and shake their heads in confusion. 

The two Kates glanced at the countdown clock and as it dropped under 0:07, together they yelled, “Cancel the detonation!”

As the countdown stopped at 0:05, the Doctor fiddled with his bowtie and smiled at Clara. “Peace in our time.” 

The two Kates retook their seats at the conference table and began negotiations. 

\--

The Doctor remained on his knees breathing heavily. The Master looked in confusion at his oldest friend and bitterest enemy. “But this is fantastic, isn't it? The Time Lords restored.”

“You weren't there in the final days of the War. You never saw what was born. But if the Time Lock's broken, then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-Have-Been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres. The War turned into hell. And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending.”

The Master’s eyes lit with glee. “My kind of world.” 

“Just listen! Because even the Time Lords can't survive that.”

“We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand. The rupture will continue until it rips the Time Vortex apart.”

The Master was incredulous. “That's suicide.”

“We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone. Free of these bodies, free of time, and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be.”

The Doctor pleaded with the Master. “You see now? That's what they were planning in the final days of the War. I had to stop them.”

The Master stepped forward, arms spread wide. “Then, take me with you, Lord President. Let me ascend into glory.” 

“You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more.” Rassilon raised his gauntlet covered hand toward the Master and slowly opened his fist. The Doctor pushed himself to his feet and stepped between the two. He aimed the revolver he still held at Rassilon.

“Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one.”

From behind, the Doctor heard the Master cajole, “But he's the President. Kill him, and Gallifrey could be yours.”

The Doctor spun around to point the revolver at the Master.

“He's to blame, not me! Oh...the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back. You never would, you coward. Go on then. Do it.”

The Doctor flipped around to point the gun at Rassilon. 

The Master egged the Doctor on, “Exactly. It's not just me, it's him. He's the link. Kill him!”

Rose slipped through the door without any notice as the Lord President addressed the Doctor. “The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?” 

Behind Rassilon, one of the dissenters lowered her hands and caught Rose’s eye. Rose fought back tears as she met the gaze of her mother-in-law for the first time in years - and likely, the last.

The older woman inclined her head, just barely perceptible. And Rose, after taking a bracing breath, did the same and mouthed, “Goodbye.” The corners of the older woman’s lips twitched upward.

The Doctor’s mother moved her eyes to her son. He stood frozen, unable to even pull air into his lungs. She too remained unmoving, though he noticed her eyes flicker to a place over his shoulder. His mind raced as it recalled the layout of the space. His eyes flared for a moment and he turned once again back to the Master. 

The Master closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable. 

“Get out of the way.”

The Master’s eyes popped open. He jumped out of the way just before the Doctor fired at the apparatus holding the White Point Star. A flare of light heralded a gale that blew through the area. The Doctor dropped the arm holding the pistol as the Time Lords fought against the winds pushing them back into the Time Lock.

“The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell.”

\--

The Visionary looked up from her scribing and chanted to the heavens, “Gallifrey falling! Gallifrey falls! The Wolf rises! The Age of the Wolf begins!”

\--

Rassilon screamed, spittle flying from his mouth, “You'll die with me, Doctor.”

“I know.” The Doctor’s head dropped.

Rassilon took aim at the Doctor with his gauntlet. The Doctor’s mother lowered her eyes as a tear fell and she re-covered her face. Rose was about to make her move, when the Master clambered to his feet and yelled, “Get out of the way!”

The Doctor jumped back as the Master sent an energy blast at Rassilon using up his unstable life force. He raged at the Time Lords, “You did this to me! All of my life! You made me! One! Two! Three! Four!”

The Doctor and Rose stood transfixed, watching as the Master hit the Lord President over and over with energy bursts until he collapsed to his knees. The Master stepped closer and closer, energy pouring from him unrelentingly. It intensified until, in a brilliant eruption of light, all Time Lords, save the Doctor, disappeared from Earth. 

The Doctor stumbled to the window and noticed Gallifrey gone from the sky and people celebrating in the streets. He backed up and leaned against the wall, feeling every painful twinge of his battered body. “I'm alive. I've…there was...I'm still alive.”

Rose ran up to him and, although she wanted to throw herself into his arms, she feared hurting him. He crushed her into a hug, not caring.

\--

Clara walked over to the photo board containing pictures of the Doctor’s known companions. She played with the push pin stuck into a black and white photo of a teenage girl with a pixie cut. She glanced to the corner of the room and noticed the wartime Doctor sitting alone, staring into a steaming cup of tea. 

She strolled over and perched on the arm of his chair. “Hello.”

“Hello.”

“I'm Clara. We haven't properly met yet.”

“I look forward to it.” The Doctor took a sip of his tea while Clara sat quietly studying him. “Is there a problem?”

“No, I just noticed you here all alone.”

The Doctor let his eyes drift over to where Rose was laughing and joking with the other Doctors. She met his gaze and her smile widened.

The Doctor sighed. “The way they both look at me. I'm trying to think of a better word than dread.” 

“It must be really recent for you.”

“Recent?”

“The Time War. The last day. The day you…”

“The day I had to kill them all?”

“The Doctor, my Doctor, he never wants to talk about the day he did it. The day he wiped out the Time Lords to stop the war.”

“I don’t imagine one would.”

Clara scrutinized the Doctor’s face and appeared to be making a decision. “You wouldn't...Because you haven't done it yet. It's still in your future.”

“You're very sure of yourself.”

“He regrets it. I see it in his eyes every day. He'd do anything to change it.”

The Doctor gestured over to the negotiating table. “Including saving all these people? How many worlds has his regret saved, do you think? Look over there. Humans and Zygons working together for peace.” 

Rose appeared and sat on the Doctor’s lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist. 

The Doctor considered Clara. “How did you know?”

Rose watched as Clara struggled with how to answer the Doctor’s question. 

Finally, she sighed. “Your eyes. They...they’re haunted, but not filled with the same self loathing that I sometimes see in him.” She gestured to her Doctor.

“Is he...does he...do I-”

Clara leaned over and touched his knee. “I don’t think you’ve ever really gotten over it, but you always say that Rose made you better.”

He said low enough for Rose’s ears only, “I've seen all I need to.”

“I know.” Rose smiled gratefully at Clara, before kissing the Doctor’s crown. 

“Clara!”

Clara turned to her Doctor and called out, “I’ll be right there, I’m just talking to-” She turned back to the cuddling couple to find them gone. She glanced left and right, but they’d vanished. “Doctors!”

\--

Rose and the Doctor found themselves back where they started - in the Doctor’s childhood barn. Rose was holding the Eye of Discord in her hands, and sticking straight out of the top was a shaft tipped with a bright red ruby. It was reminiscent of a long stemmed rose. He quirked his brow at her. 

“You wanted a big red button.” Her hands started to shake. “One big bang, no more Time Lords. No more Daleks. Are you sure?”

“I was sure when we left, but that doesn’t make it any easier. It’s just there’s no other way to save at least a portion of the universe...all those worlds, their people. The Zygons...when I first heard they’d lost their homeworld. I...I thought maybe it was a sign that the universe was better off dead. All the suffering that’s already been caused. That can never be erased. But to see them and the humans working together...together, Rose! I realized that the universe can, no, _does_ survive.”

“In no small part due to you.”

The Doctor placed his hand just above the button. He closed his eyes.

Rose tilted her head as if she was listening to something only she could hear. “You know the sound the TARDIS makes?” The Doctor opened his eyes and turned his attention to Rose whose eyes had just began to take on a low glow. “That wheezing, groaning? That sound brings hope wherever it goes.”

The Doctor released a long held breath. “Yes. Yes, I like to think it does.”

“To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone…” A slight breeze began to blow around them, the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS filling the space. Rose smiled. “...even you.”

Two TARDISes materialize at the far end of the barn. The pinstriped Doctor exited one, Clara and the bowtied Doctor the other.

Clara appeared relieved to find Rose and the younger Doctor. “I told you. He hasn't done it yet.”

“Go away now, all of you. This is for me to do.”

The pinstriped Doctor eyed his next self. “These events should be time-locked. We shouldn't even be able to get here.” 

“So something let us through.” The bowtied Doctor eyed Rose.

Her eyes flashed gold. “My clever boys.”

“Oh!” The pinstriped Doctor bent over and grabbed his head, it was as if a jolt had gone through his body. His eyes fell on Rose in shock. “The Moment. You...my...you’re the Moment? My Lady Moment. Bad Wolf! And we’re...” His jaw dropped open.

The bowtied Doctor reacted a little less dramatically with a simple cringe as the memory unfurled in his mind.

“Go back. Go back to your lives. Go and be the Doctor that I could never be. Make it worthwhile.”

“All those years, burying you in my memory, and it wasn’t even a real memory. You made me forget Rose completely!”

“What would you have me do? She insisted on staying, before we had ever even met her. I can’t forget the whole bloody war, no matter how appealing the thought. We came up with the idea of creating a false memory based on an alternate timeline and to bury it at the bottom of all the memories that you’d never want to remember anyway.” He mumbled to himself, “Glad to know it works.”

“I pretended that the Doctor...you...didn't exist during the Time War. Keeping you a secret, even from myself. A false Doctor...”

“Thinking you weren't the Doctor, when you were the Doctor more than anybody else.”

“You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right.”

“But this time…” 

“You don't have to do it alone.”

The two older Doctors placed their hands, one on top of the other, hovering over the sparkling red ruby.

The younger Doctor looked at his two successors with gratitude. “Thank you.”

“What we do today is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way.”

“And it is done in the name of the many lives we are failing to save.” The oldest Doctor caught sight of Clara whose eyes were full of tears. “What? What is it? What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“No, it's something. Tell me.”

“When you told me you wiped out your own people. I just...I never pictured this you doing it, that's all.” 

“If you like, you can wait for me in the TARDIS.”

“‘Cos there isn't anything we can do.”

“He's right. There isn't another way. There never was. Either I destroy my own people or let the universe burn. And if I have to be the one to make the decision, then the very least I can do is support myself in it.”

Clara wiped her tears. “If Rose can stay here for you then so can I. That’s what friends do. Support each other even when it’s hard.”

“Rose, you don’t have to stay here for this. Neither one of you does.”

Rose’s lips tightened with anger. “You should know better by now, Doctor, sendin’ me away is never gonna happen.”

The younger Doctor blurted out, “She can’t leave.”

The two older Doctors boggled at the younger Doctor. “What?”

“Bad Wolf. The Moment. She’s the interface of the Galaxy Eater. We need her to make it work.”

The two older Doctors stared at her in dawning horror. “What?”

“This...Roppen...it was always meant for us. It’s conscience is Rose.”

“Rose, I...”

“This is wrong. You shouldn’t-”

“Me here. Does it change the way you feel about me? Ruin me in your eyes?”

“No!” “Of course not!” The two older Doctors yelled simultaneously.

“Then why would you think this would ever change how I feel about you?”

Both men had their mouths open, clearly surprised, and unsure how to answer.

“I love you. _You_.” She glanced at all three versions of the man she loved. “No matter the face, no matter the fears, no matter what you’ve done in the past, present, or future...I will love you. Forever.”

Rose’s pinstriped Doctor was the first to act. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a fervent kiss. 

She pulled back and the bowtied Doctor kissed her on the forehead. She looked at him in confusion. He shrugged. “I...you don’t really know me yet. I didn’t want you to feel-” She stopped his ramble with a quick kiss on his mouth.

“I always know you. My Doctor.”

He blushed and she faced the man she had married. The man she’d shared a lifetime with.

“Doctor.”

“Rose.”

“Thank you.”

“Me? I should be thanking you. You’re the one who saved me...over and over. In so many ways.”

“You let me. You let me into your life and shared it with me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Better with two remember.”

“How could I not? You had me at, ‘Run.’”

She smiled her tongue touched grin, eyes sparkling mischievously. “Guess we’re even then.”

“Oh?”

The bowtied Doctor injected, “Spoilers.”

The younger Doctor addressed his eldest self. “Take care of her...afterwards. Make sure she gets to where she needs to go, since…” He swallowed thickly. “...I most likely won’t be able to fulfil that promise to her.”

Rose cried, “Doctor, don’t say that!”

“Rose, we both know where today leads. I’ve been wearing a bit thin for years. The Time Lock around Gallifrey is the only thing that’s staved off my regeneration as it is. When it breaks… Please...just know that I love you and will for the rest of my lives.” He gestured to his elder selves. “Not that I doubted it, but it’s still nice to know I’m right.”

Her smile wobbled. “Git.”

He closed his eyes, he never could stand to see her crying, and pressed his lips to hers. For a moment he simply savored the feeling of her soft lips caressing his, remembering each little instance of domesticity he’d shared with this woman. How could he ever want such a life if it wasn’t with her? It filled his hearts with hope for his future and gave him the courage to do what was needed at present. The thought ran through his head that if this was his last chance to snog Rose Tyler with these lips, he was going to make it count. He deepened the kiss until his wife moaned her need.

A subtle throat clearing had the two breaking apart, eyes unfocused, breathing stilted. Rose’s slight blush had the Doctor grinning widely.

He clapped his hands. “Right, er, where were we?”

The bowtied Doctor stepped forward. “You asked me to take Rose where she needs to go next, and on that account you have nothing to worry about. I may be remembering today as it happens, but if there is one thing burned in my memory, it’s the day Rose came back.”

“Thank you.” The youngest Doctor wiped at his eyes. “Well, gentlemen, it has been an honor and a privilege.”

The pinstriped Doctor nodded. “Likewise.”

The eldest Doctor saluted his youngest self. “Doctor.”

The three men placed their fingers around the edge of the ruby red button of the Eye of Discord. The youngest of them raised his eyes and met those of his wife. “I’m sorry.” 

He pressed down and the world around them burned.


	9. Never the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to TenRoseForeverandever for looking over a key part of this chapter and her wonderful advice!

The youngest Doctor clutched his head as the screams of the Time Lords tore through his mind. As the agony became too great for his overwhelmed barriers, ripples of pain could be felt by his successors and Rose through their bond. One by one, each Gallifreyan connection ripped off into silence and his mind was left in tatters. The sudden lack of noise in his mind was suffocating in its quiet and did not afford him the relief it should have. His legs wobbled and he fell to the ground. Rose stepped forward, but was stopped by the eldest Doctor. 

“You can’t interfere. This forms who I’ll be after the Time War. Who I was when you first met me.”

Rose’s eyes flashed. “Don’t presume to tell me what’s best for my husband.”

“But it’s me! And I don’t want-”

“Do you recall our bonding vows?”

The older Doctor winced and tried to scan through the memories of the Time War to find the right one. “I’m sorry. I haven’t had a chance to go through all the memories that’ve been hidden from me. I only remember our Earth ceremony.”

Rose’s eyes softened and her anger faded a bit. She cupped his cheek. Her eyes glowed gold and the memory the Doctor sought was pulled to the forefront of his mind. He closed his eyes as the precious event replayed behind his eyelids.

_Do you vow to tend to the garden of each other’s mindscape as you would your own?_

“Oh, Rose.”

“It’s a vow I intend to keep.”

He closed his eyes against her entreaty. “Rose...” 

She laid her hand on his arm. “I won’t watch him be driven mad by this. When we met, yes, you were still hurting and, yes, it was awful, but you were still you. You still saw the joy in the small things. That daft, quick grin of yours… That’s the man I fell in love with. I want you safe, my Doctor. And I can’t stand by and do nothing while you’re suffering like this.” 

The older Doctor clenched his eyes closed and stepped back.

Rose went to move to her husband’s side. But something was wrong. 

The world suddenly had gone unnaturally quiet. Rose looked around at the others in the room, all unmoving, frozen in time. Rose reached back to the Doctor closest to her, the one in the bowtie. She touched his arm and found it as hard as stone. She turned to her second doctor and waved her hand in front of his unseeing eyes. 

“Doctor! Doctor!” 

Rose spun around looking for the smallest movement from anyone or anything. Even the dust was suspended in the air and felt like pins pricking her when she tried to move her hand through it. 

Just as she was approaching all out panic, Rose heard singing. A beautiful song that calmed her racing heart and brought peace to her soul. 

The TARDIS that had been her home for the last century began materializing in the barn between her later selves. 

Rose, with the golden mantle of time wrapped around her, materialized inside the sister of her heart and other half of her soul. 

Together, of one mind, they dematerialized and rematerialized at the site of the collapsing star that was once known as the Eye of Harmony, Gallifrey’s incredible power source and the post by which the fabric of all time was held together. The time bubble that had prevented its demise was irrevocably breaking down and time was fraying at its source. 

The Goddess of Time had seen this moment in the dawn of eternity. And so she searched through all of time and space for a daughter - created of herself. A being through whom she could interact with the physical world. Bad Wolf. A hybrid of two unique females, Rose Tyler and the TARDIS, both willing to battle for the universe, for justice, for hope, for love. These two souls, fully merged and floating over the ruins of Gallifrey, knew what needed to be done. Drawing on the power of the newly-formed black hole and her own artron energy, Bad Wolf orchestrated the birth of a star from the gases and dust left in the wake of the destruction of Gallifrey.

With a wave of her hand, the Time Goddess - directed the nebula to gain mass and stability. It formed into an object pulsing with power, burning through its hydrogen atoms, billions of years in the blink of an eye. As the flames of the star burned more luminous than ever, she trapped it in that moment, at its brightest and just on the brink of death, and howled her name across the cosmos. 

Rose and the TARDIS worked in tandem to free the knotted strands of time, unraveling it completely. A billion billion people across the multiverse knew unending sadness and their hearts broke with each filament. All of that dissipated as Bad Wolf remade and then re-anchored the Web of Time to its new hitching post.

When they were done, they hid it a moment out of sync from the rest of the universe. When all that was, is, and ever could be was safe from any who may try to harness the power from which all of time flowed, the Goddess smiled and life carried on as if nothing at all had happened.

With the prophecy fulfilled, Bad Wolf released Rose and the TARDIS to return to the moment from which they’d left.

Time sped up around Rose until she was once again in sync with the others in the barn. 

The two older Doctors and Clara rushed to Rose’s side when they noticed her frozen in place, her eyes filled with the light of the time vortex. Slowly, her limbs once again began to move and her chest filled with breath, but the glow in her eyes didn’t fade.

Rose collapsed to her knees across from her writhing husband. 

“Rose!” Her pinstriped Doctor moved to grab her. “What happened?”

She lifted her hand in warning. “I had a prophecy to fulfill.”

“What are you talking about? What prophecy?”

The oldest Doctor gasped. “Rose!”

Her body took on a golden shimmer just beneath the surface and she crawled to the youngest Doctor’s side. Her voice vibrated with power, “I am Bad Wolf. Your Rose Tyler, created by Time from the dust of the cosmos. I see all that is, was, and ever could be. I see the Last Son of Gallifrey, and set him to be the protector of my domain. I gave him my daughter, as mate, to keep him safe and to run at his side forever. Sleep now, Doctor.” 

She kissed his forehead, his eyelids, his nose, and finally his lips. She ran her hands through his hair, over his ears, down his cheeks, and then she brushed his temples. 

He whimpered.

Rose’s voice swirled through the cavern of the Doctor’s mind, brushing away the chaos and healing the most badly damaged edges. He still hurt, but the pain was muted. _I love you, my Doctor. Come find me. I’ll be waiting._

Bad Wolf then helped Rose hide his memories of their life together, leaving the basics of what had occurred, but creating a false incarnation and blurring her presence into a fairytale.

Panting from the effort of keeping the time bubble securely around them and the Doctor’s regeneration energy at bay, she finally gave in and the barn exploded in white light.

\--

Rose slowly came awake on a bench pressed closely into the sides of two Doctors. Her head lolled against a pinstriped shoulder. His chin rested on the top of her head and she could feel it move as he asked his counterpart, “I won’t remember this, will I?”

“The time streams are out of sync. You can’t retain it, no.”

“Why can’t I take her with me?”

“It’s not the right time. I’m sorry.”

She felt his sigh and the catch in his breath while he considered his next question. “How much longer?”

“Until?”

“Don’t be stupid.” The hand around her waist tightened. “Until I get her back.”

Rose could feel the bowtied Doctor shifting and her eyes opened as he stood. He smiled at her. “Knew you’d awoken.”

He his eyes darted back to the broken man he remembered once being. Living without Rose was one of the worst times in his long life and he ached to give some relief to to his former self, but… “Spoilers.”

The defeated look in the other man’s eyes nearly had him blurting out all their secrets.

“Stop it!” Rose jumped from her seat and they both stared at Rose in surprise. She ran her fingers along the Doctor’s sideburns. “I’m coming back to you. Soon. I promise.”

“What?”

“How could you possibly-”

She silenced them both with a glare, before rolling her eyes. She pressed a kiss to the Doctor’s forehead. “Trust me. Certain things need to happen for you, things that have already happened for me, before I can come back. But then you’re stuck with me.”

His wide grin spread across his face. “Stuck with you, that’s not so bad.”

She pulled him to a stand and grinned back. The bowtied Doctor cleared his throat. “Sorry, but we’ve got to get going.” He tilted his head toward the TARDISes, both of which had begun groaning their dismay.

“Right. Anyway, good to know my future is in safe hands.” The Doctor raised Rose’s hands to his lips. With a sigh, he turned to Clara and pointing at Rose and his future self he said, “Keep an eye on those two, Clara.” 

She laughed. “On it.”

He winked at her and waved goodbye to the others. He stepped into the TARDIS with one last longing look at Rose before letting the doors fall closed.

Rose threw herself into the older Doctor’s arms. “That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”

“Rose, you just ended the Time War.”

She sniffled. “I know.”

He kissed the top of her head. “C’mon. Let’s get you to one of the happiest day of my life.”

Rose raised her teary eyes to his and smiled. “Really?”

“Oh, yes.”

\--

The Doctor fiddled with a knob to the monitor and wouldn’t meet Rose’s eyes.

“Doctor?”

He turned to her with a big smile. “Right! End of the line.” His gaze raked over her. She was dressed once again in the outfit she’d been wearing back when she’d been jumping dimensions. “Just outside those doors is a Time L-” He narrowed his eyes at her hands. “Wait! Be right back.” The Doctor ran up the stairs of his console room and disappeared down one of the corridors. 

“Doctor!” Rose turned to Clara. “What’s he doing?”

“With him, I never know.” She shrugged and went back to her book.

The Doctor clambered down the steps carrying a giant gun reminiscent of the one Rose had lost ages ago on an almost deserted gunship.

“Where did you find that? I lost it!”

“Oh, erm, well, this isn’t yours exactly.”

“What?”

“It’s Mickey’s or was Mickey’s.”

“Mickey?”

“Don’t worry about how I got it, honestly, little bit of a paradox there, but listen, this...this is very important...”

“Yeah?”

“After you get back to me and you’re safely on the TARDIS, before you do anything else to help me with the...the cause of the stars going out. I need you to take this gun back to storage room G. Tell me that you’ll catch up with me. I’m not gonna want to go without you, but it is essential that this is returned to storage before you step one foot out of the TARDIS doors. Let me and Jack and Donna head out before you. Got it?”

“Uh, yeah, of course. Storage room G.”

The Doctor let out a relieved breath. “Good. That’s everything. Oh, and be careful out there, never know what’s lurking just around the corner.”

“Corners, eh?”

The Doctor put his hands in his pocket and shrugged. 

Rose slipped the strap of the gun over her shoulder and looked wistfully at the door. “So, just outside those doors?”

The Doctor wrapped Rose in his arms and kissed her forehead. “Everything you worked so hard for.”

Rose smiled tearily up at the Doctor and cupped his jaw. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. You never stop saving me.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

Rose took a deep breath and walked toward the door. She paused before going through it. “I’ll see you later.”

The Doctor winked. “Not if I see you first.” 

Rose’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “It was lovely meeting you too, Clara.”

“Bye, Rose. And good luck!” 

Rose waved and walked out into the next chapter of her life.

\--

Wilf knocked on the glass of the door, still stuck in the booth, to get the Doctor and Rose’s attention. They pulled back from their hug and swung their heads toward him. 

“They gone, then? Yeah, good-o. If you could let me out?”

Rose nodded and walked over to the glass enclosure. 

Wilf swallowed nervously. “This thing seems to be making a bit of a noise.”

The Doctor gave it a cursory glance. “The Master left the Nuclear Bolt running. It's gone into overload.”

“And that's bad, is it?”

“No.” The Doctor turned to look at his wife. “...because all the excess radiation gets vented inside there. Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing.” 

Rose ran her finger along the Doctor’s jaw and raised to her toes to give him a quick kiss. “I’d better let ‘im out then. I’d hate for Donna to come back from her honeymoon and find somethin’ had happened to her gramps.”

The Doctor pulled her back for a more thorough snog before running his fingers through her hair. “You don’t need to do this. I can do it this time.”

“Doctor…”

“It’s going to hurt. A lot. Please, Rose. Let me.”

“I can handle it. Trust me, yeah?” Rose slipped into the other half of the booth and pulled the door closed. She looked over the control panel and found the button she was searching for. She smiled bravely at the Doctor and pressed the button. 

Wilf’s side unlocked and the Doctor helped him out and they both stepped back from the glass booth. A red light flooded Rose’s side and she screamed out in pain, knees buckling under her. The Doctor balled his fists and clamped his jaw, unwilling to turn away. Wilf clutched at the Doctor’s shoulder, but couldn’t bring himself to watch Rose writhing on the ground. 

After an unbearably long few seconds, the power shut down, and the Doctor raced through the now unlocked door. He fell to his knees and gathered her into his embrace. He rocked back and forth with her in his arms. “Come on, love. Come on. Come back.” 

A faint glowing rippled under her skin and her eyes fluttered open.

The Doctor breathed out in relief. “Hello.”

“Hello.” Rose lifted her hands to the Doctor’s face and ran her fingers over the cuts and scrapes on his face. They healed under her touch. She smiled faintly and ruffled his hair. The Doctor stood, Rose held securely in his arms. “Never gets easier.”

She snuggled into his side. “Wha’?”

“Watching you die. Wondering if this is the time you don’t come back.”

“Never gonna happen. Promised you forever, didn’t I?”

The Doctor’s grip on her tightened. “Let’s go home. Get you to bed.”

“Mmmm, Doctor. Reading my mind are you?” She gave him a saucy grin with a hint of tongue peeking out.

“Not like that!”

Her merry peal of laughter did more to lighten the fear that had taken hold when she was rendered unconscious than anything else. He released his own soft chuckle. “Allons-y, Rose Tyler.”

\--

“Sorry we didn’t make it to the Moon.” The Doctor fidgeted at the controls.

Clara paused at the door and leaned up against the jamb. “That’s okay. Another time.”

“We could go now?”

Clara shook her head. “We’re already back and I have a date with Danny in 20 minutes. I really need to get ready. Where’s Rose, your Rose, anyway? I meant to ask.”

The Doctor blew out a breath. “Donna went into labor with the twins.”

“Oh! That’s great!”

“I apparently was making her anxious, so they kicked me out. I don’t hover. I’m not a hoverer. Am I?”

Clara laughed. 

“Oi! I’m not. I the king of cool. I’m gonna be the cool uncle. Uncle Doctor Cool.”

Clara’s lips twitched. “Whatever you say, Doctor.”

He flung himself onto the jumpseat and leaned his head back. “I hate it when Rose isn’t here.”

“Why don’t you just jump ahead a few hours?”

He let out a deep breath. “Rose always knows when I cheat.”

“But does she mind?”

The Doctor shrugged.

“Well then, I suppose you could wait in the waiting room like a normal person.”

“Now you sound like Sylvia, and believe me that is not a compliment.”

Clara pushed off the door and backed into her flat. She pointed at the Doctor. “Take my advice, go back to the hospital, wait for your wife in the waiting room, and stay out of Donna’s way until after the babies get here. And bring a gift.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes but nodded all the same. 

“And next week, Mister, you can take me to visit them.”

“Yes, boss.” The Doctor saluted his friend. “Enjoy your date.”

“Tell Rose, I said, ‘hi.’” Clara waved as she turned and walked into her bedroom. 

\--

Rose walked into the darkened waiting room fighting to keep her eyes open. She smiled when she noticed the Doctor sprawled across three seats. He had his jacket off, his shirtsleeves rolled up, and his hair looked like he’d done a lot of running his hands through it. He was tossing his sonic and gave every appearance of being completely bored. She honestly was surprised to see that he hadn’t simply skipped ahead. She saw it as a testament to his fondness for Donna, that he would willingly subject himself to keeping himself in one place for a length of time.

The Doctor caught sight of Rose leaning against the wall out of the corner of his eye and jumped up. “Rose! How long have you been standing there?”

“Not long.” She gave him an affectionate smile and pushed off the wall. “Let’s go home. I’m knackered.”

The Doctor tugged his jacket back on, and picked up two big teddy bears and a bouquet of flowers that she hadn’t noticed. 

“What’s all this?”

“Clara said I should bring a gift, but then I realized I didn’t know if she meant for the babies or for Donna. So I got all of them something.”

Rose’s heart expanded with her love for the man in front of her. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. “That is very thoughtful and sweet, but they’re all resting right now so you’ll have to give it to them in the morning.”

“Oh.”

She took one of the stuffed animals from him and clasped his hand. He tugged her in the direction of where he’d parked the TARDIS and opened the door for her.

“So, you saw Clara today?”

“Mmhmm.” He dropped the bear and the flowers onto the jumpseat and began digging through his pockets.

“What are you looking for?”

“Hang on. Just put it in here a few hours ago, so it should be near the top. Ah ha!” 

The Doctor pulled out a small piece of metal and Rose’s hands flew to her mouth.

“Where...where’d you get that?”

The Doctor walked over to Rose and lifted her hand. “I asked the TARDIS nicely and for once she indulged me.” He slipped Rose’s wedding band, the one he’d given her for their 80th anniversary while still in his eighth body, onto her ring finger.

“How? I didn’t think you...” Her eyes widened. “Oh! You saw Clara today.”

He nodded and she saw a sadness in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in ages. “After I saw you wearing it in that clearing in 1562, I, well, I figured since you don’t wear it or keep it on you some other way, then you had to have it around here somewhere.” 

“Oh, Doctor!” Rose pulled him into her embrace and held onto him tightly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you.”

“You were.”

“Not this me.”

He pulled back to press a kiss to her forehead. “You know how you always tell me that I’m the same man and you’ll love all of me?” 

“Yeah.”

He took her hands in his. “Well, what makes you think that I can’t or don’t love any and all of you?”

She gave him a bright but tremulous smile.

He dropped his eyes to their entwined fingers. “You know, I wondered at the time why it didn’t bother you more that I completely forgot to get you a ring when we got married. Our second marriage as it turns out.”

“The one in New Las Vegas?”

He nodded and met her eyes. 

Rose took a deep breath and sighed. “Honestly, I was a bit relieved that in the whirlwind of eloping, you overlooked it. I already had one, and even if I couldn’t wear it, it was still mine. I’d not even taken it off 24 hours prior and was still processing everything. Plus it was worth it to see the officiant’s face when he asked if we’d be exchanging tokens of our love and your eyes got all wide and you stuck your hands in your pockets frantically searching for something. When you pulled out those pebbles and started babbling about the wedding rituals on Awipop-”

“You laughed!”

“I did. I love my pebble. And I was just so happy to be back and it was so...us. It felt good and I was a little bit relieved that you still wanted me, knowing you didn’t remember any of our life together.”

“What do you mean not want you? How could you even think that? Those years without you were the worst of my life. You saw me, the skinny hedgehog me, back when were were dealing with the Zygons. How much I missed you. How-”

“I know. I do. I guess I just didn’t expect that the first thing you’d do after seeing me again was to drag me to New Las Vegas to get married.”

“Well, it wasn’t the _first_ thing I did with you.” His barely there eyebrows waggled.

Rose blushed at the memory and giggled. “No. We did have all that really great reunion sex first.” 

He puffed up his chest. “It was really great, wasn’t it?”

“Shut up.”

He wagged his finger at her. “You know, I was so guilty after we woke up the following morning and we were bonded. I thought I lost control during the night and-”

She stopped him with a hand to his chest. “I’m sorry. I know how freaked out it made you and I felt awful. It was really me who’d lost control and I couldn’t say anything because those memories were all hidden from you.” Her lips twitched. “I was planning on shielding the bond as best I could and hoping you’d ask me to bond with you again. But then-”

“I would have. Just for the record. Could barely think of anything else when you were back in my arms. I felt at peace for the first time in years.”

“I really am sorry.”

“Don’t be. I wouldn’t change one moment of our time together.”

“None of it? Even losing me?”

“Oh Rose, I didn’t enjoy losing you, but if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been with me during the Time War, and I...I really think I only survived because you were there with me.”

“Doctor…”

“Rose, I have never been happier in my lives than I am right now, and I wouldn’t change _that_ for anything.”

Rose carded her fingers through his hair and dragged him down for a messy kiss. “I love you.” She pulled back and laced their fingers together. “Let’s go to bed.” 

They walked to their bedroom as they would continue on forever - hand in hand.


End file.
